


So It's Entirely Possible I've Lost My Mind

by AvengersSummerHome



Series: Lose My Mind [1]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2018-10-17 13:30:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10595004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvengersSummerHome/pseuds/AvengersSummerHome
Summary: It was just supposed to be another test. They knock me out, stick a tube in me to look around, and then I'm done. But no... Now I'm supposedly in some alternate dimension that houses one of my favorite shows. Fading from one place to the next, adventure after adventure, is really tiring! I just want my mom, my bed, and my phone so I can read fanfiction. Is that too much to ask? (Story also posted on FF.net)





	1. Doctors Visit

"Will you stop?"

I snapped my head up and looked towards my mom. She was sitting in a plastic chair off in the corner of the small room and was glaring at me, her phone forgotten in her lap.

"Stop what?" I asked. Without even thinking about it, I cracked my knuckles. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.

"That! Stop that!" She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look, I get it. You're nervous. But you've been coming here for years going through god only knows how many tests. One would think you'd be used to it by now."

I rolled my eyes in exasperation.

"You know I don't like hospitals and that I don't trust doctors! They're all sweet and calm and then suddenly there's a needle being stabbed into your arm. And then theres the smell. That god awful smell of bleach and various other cleaning products. Who knows what they're hiding with that stuff. Plus, you've seen Kill Bill! There are ass-hats out there that rape coma patients. I don't understand how you can allow these doctors to be in a room with your only daughter, while she's unconscious, and have things probe her to look inside!"

My mom sighed, having heard this argument before.

"You, missy, have been watching way too much tv. Carli, sweetheart, if I believed for a second that the doctors would cause you any problems, I would never let you in there. Besides! It is a quick procedure and you'll be awake and going home in no time! So just calm down," She said, going back to her phone.

"Easy for you to say when you don't have a needle sticking out of and taped to your arm as blood slowly trickles down the tube attached to it," I grumbled under my breath. But, she was right. I should be used to it by now. I had been suffering from lactose intolerance and Crohn's Disease since the 6th grade. We only recently discovered it after finally trying a colonoscopy on top of various other invasive tests. Today, after about 2 years of taking 6 pills a day on top of the lactose supplements I take with practically everything I eat, I was here to see how the problem areas are doing, thus having me be subjected to this torture again.

A minute or so later, the nurse came in.

"Hiya sweetie! So, the doctors are ready for you now. If you'll just follow me to the operating room," She said in a toothache worthy sugary sweet voice. I looked to my mom for help, but she only smiled and waved goodbye to me.

Traitor.

When we reached the operating room, the doors opened and I did a quick glance around. It was the usual sterile white with machines crammed against the walls. In the center of the room was the examination table which was currently surrounded by about 5 doctors and nurses. I noticed immediately that a couple of them were males. I shifted uncomfortably, suddenly very conscious on the fact that I was only wearing a pitiful excuse for a gown and a pair of hospital issued blue socks. Looking at the ground, I followed the nurse and sat down on the table.

"Alright sweetie. Now, I'm going to need you to lie back on the table. Good! Good! Now, I'm going to hook up your tube to this machine and it's gunna pump you with this fluid that will make you have a nice nap. Doesn't that sound fun?" My eye twitched. This lady was getting on my nerves. For gods sake! I'm not 5!

Almost a second later, I felt the tell-tale chill ender my veins as the machine injected the stuff into me. However, there was something else. Something that shouldn't be there. The feeling of pins and needles flowed from where they put in the needle all the way to my finger tips. The feeling soon began to burn. Before I could voice the problem, my vision went black and I was gone from the world.

* * *

 

As I slowly came back into awareness, my ears picked up on the sound of shouting.

"You think I... this?! I didn't...wasn't me!"

"This...exactly you. All...it..."

Confused as to what was happening, I opened my eyes to a surprisingly dim room for a hospital. Usually the florescent light bulbs would be blinding me by now. Blurry figures moved in front of me, probably a couple yards ahead. It was then I noticed that I was standing on rather wobbly legs. Ok, red flag. Normally I'd be on a bed.

"Carli! Doctor! It's Carli!" That's weird. That sounds like Rory from Doctor Who. Do hospitals even get BBC America? And since when was there an episode during the Pond era where theres a character with my name? Suddenly my eye sight came into focus only for me to have a heart attack.

This...this is no hospital... I thought looking around in panic. It was a futuristic looking version of a warehouse. There were crates strewn about and what looked like abandoned guns lying here and there. In a large opening in the middle of the surrounding wooden boxes were a group of people. People I only know from tv. Except for the one with the space hair and the one in the roman get up, as I had met them at a Con earlier this summer. Off to the side, was a big blue box titled Police Public Call Box.

What...the...fuck... It was then that I became aware of the bow-tie wearing man storming towards me, a look of absolute fury in his eyes. He stopped when he was about 3 inches from my face.

"You. Where the bloody hell have you been?" He seethed. I was so confused.

"W-what?" I stammered trying to lean back without toppling over from my still unstable legs.

"What good is having knowledge of the future when you don't use it?!" He spat in my face.

"I-I don't know what you mean, I-" His hands suddenly latched onto my shoulders, gripping them tight enough that I could feel bruises forming.

"Don't. Don't think for a minute that you can fool me. You knew! Where the hell were you?! We needed you and you weren't here! Now Melody is gone and it's your fault!" He shook me twice before a shout came from behind him.

"Doctor!" It was the woman with the space hair. "Doctor! Look at her! Really look at her!"

His eyes went from glaring intensely into mine to looking me up and down. He took in the gown I was wearing and the needle still embedded into my arm and immediately let go of me, his face paling and taking on a look of absolute horror. I collapsed on the ground, my legs having given up on the idea of holding me.

"No. No no no no no. This? This was your first time ever meeting me?!" He rubbed his hand over his face in complete shock and horror. "I never even considered...and you never said... why didn't you say?" he said looking heart broken at the purple and shaped bruises forming on my arms. His eyes then snapped to my neck, as if he was looking for something there as well. I wasn't all that surprised about the bruises as I was slightly anemic. However, I still couldn't grasp what was going on around me and I could feel my breaths becoming shorter and shorter. I grasped at my chest as it erupted in pain.

"Oh no. RORY!" The man yelled. The man dressed as a roman ran over, followed by the ginger woman wearing white.

"Alright, Carli? I need you to focus on me ok? Take deep breaths with me. In. And out. In. And out." I did as he said and could feel myself begin to calm down. "Right. I'm going to take this needle out, ok? I know these don't help your nerves much." He pulled out the stupid thing and then turned back to me. "Now, do you know who I am?"

"You're...you're Arthur Darvill...from Doctor Who...but why...?" I trailed off as he shook his head.

"My name isn't Arthur. It's Rory. Rory Pon-Williams. Rory Williams. And this is Amy," He pointed to the ginger woman, "and this is the Doctor," He said pointing to the bow-tie man who had just came over.

"But...but thats...not possible! You're...you're a British tv show!" I exclaimed in a panic, trying to get a grip on reality. It suddenly dawned on me. "Oh. I get it. The doctors must have found something wrong with my brain and admitted me into the psychiatric ward. Thats great, just great. I've finally lost it!" I began to panic again, but the man, the Doctor, quickly pulled my head into his lap and ran his fingers through my hair. It was a lot like how my mom did it in an attempt to calm me down when I was close to tears or in agonizing pain from a flare up.

"Shh. You are not crazy. If anything, you're the sanest out of all of us in this Jetson-esque family." He chuckled at that. "So that's where that came from," He muttered to himself. Just then, the tingly feeling in my arm started up again. I looked down in confusion.

"What...?" I muttered looking down at it. I saw nothing out of the ordinary except a bit of blood from where the needle was pulled out. The man followed my gaze and a look of understanding dawned upon his face.

"It looks like you're off on a new adventure," He said, smiling in remembrance.

"Adventure?" I said, confused out of my mind.

"Yeah, and it was a great one too. Just remember, everything we told you is the truth, ok? Oh! Here!" He shoved a hand into his pocket, going about elbow deep. This startled me. There is no way he should have fit that much of his arm into that tiny thing. He pulled out his hand, bringing with it what looked like my old polaroid camera from when I was 4. I used to go around the house with it taking pictures of the randomest of things. I looked to him in confusion.

"You told me that your first time meeting me was coming soon and that I gave you this. Use it well," He said, winking at the Harry Potter reference. There was a look on his face that shined with remembrance of something. I moaned a bit when the tingly sensation became a burning one.

"See you soon," He whispered. He then blurred out of sight.

* * *

 

When my eyes came into focus again, I could tell I was back in the hospital. Sighing in relief, I began to look around for my mom. Other than a couple of beds and a few people milling around, there was no sign of her anywhere. I went to stand up, but something in my hands stopped me. Suddenly noticing the weight, I looked down and saw, to my absolute horror, that it was the Polaroid. I immediately ran to a woman in a doctor's frock.

"Excuse me?! Can you please tell me where my mom is? Her name is Lisa Strandberg. She was supposed to be here when I woke up." The woman looked at me in confusion for a moment before looking at her clipboard.

"There is no one on here with that name as a visitor. And who are you? I've been monitoring this room all day and I've never seen you around here before." Her eyes narrowed at me in suspicion.

"What so you mean? I'm Carli Strandberg. I was here because of my Crohn's. My mom signed me in and everything. I remember being in the operating room and then...then I must have been dreaming... But I woke up here! Please! You have to help me," I exclaimed in a rush.

She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a sudden quake in the earth that threw us off balance. The back of my head slammed against the floor, stunning me for a moment. For a good 10 seconds, the shaking continued, equipment falling everywhere. Finally it stopped. I lied on the ground in shock, trying to get rid of the ringing in my ears. Soon, the room was filled with horrified cries of terror. I could see people running about around me. I pulled myself to my feet and slowly made it to the window, where a crowd had formed. I shoved my way to the front, only to fall back in shock at what I had seen.

We were on the moon.


	2. Why Am I Not Waking Up?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just supposed to be another test. They knock me out, stick a tube in me to look around, and then I'm done. But no... Now I'm supposedly in some alternate dimension that houses one of my favorite shows. Fading from one place to the next, adventure after adventure, is really tiring! I just want my mom, my bed, and my phone so I can read fanfiction. Is that too much to ask? (Also posted on FF.net)

Stunned by what I saw, I ran from the room, trying to find out if it was just some prank someone pulled. I found myself in another patients ward, not unlike the last one, only to find it in the same condition, from the panicking people to the view from the window. I fell back against the wall by the window, sliding down it until I was curled up as much as I could while maintaining a sense modestly in the hospital gown i was still wearing. My hands found themselves weaving and tugging at my hair as I hyperventilated. What the hell. Why am on the moon? I pinched myself to try and wake up, but all that got me was the telltale pain of being stabbed by my nails. Why won't this work?! I began pinching myself even more, up to the point where my arm was littered in crescent shaped red indents. I was so concentrated on trying to injure myself awake that I almost didn't notice a young woman trying to take control of the situation.

"All right now, everyone back to bed, we've got an emergency but we'll sort it out. Don't worry" I looked up as one of my favorite actresses from Sense8 came into the room dressed in a doctor's coat. She looked younger than she does currently. She quickly headed over to the window where I and another medical person were.

"It's real. It's really real. Hold on." She reached up to open the latch on the window, but a sudden protest from the woman stopped her.

"Don't! We'll lose all the air!" The Freema Agyeman look-alike looked from the woman to the window in confusion.

"But they're not exactly air tight. If the air was going to get sucked out it would have happened straight away, but it didn't. So how come?" I was so focused on the conversation in front of me that I was startled when another voice joined in.

"Very good point. Brilliant, in fact. What was your name?" I turned towards the new speaker only to freeze in shock. First bowtie, now sand shoes? Why won't I wake up?

"Martha."

"And it was Jones, wasn't it? Well then, Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing?"

"We can't be." The other woman whimpered, looking close to tears.

"Obviously we are, so don't waste my time. Martha, what have we got? Is there a balcony on this floor, or a veranda, or..."

"By the patients' lounge, yeah."

"Fancy going out?"

"Okay." It was then that the man noticed me. He blinked at me in confusion before his face hardened.

"Oh. You're here," He said in a cool tone, as if he would rather see anyone else but me. I opened my mouth to respond, but only a whimper came out. I was still frightened from what was going on around me. He rolled his eyes and turned back to Freema.

"We might die."

"We might not." By now, they were both supporting smirks.

"Good. Come on. Not her, she'd hold us up," He pointed to the sobbing woman. "And especially not her. She ruins everything she touches" He said pointing at me. Freema looked at me in confusion, but followed him from the room.

I slumped against the wall, finally able to get a hold of myself and calm down. 'She'll ruin everything' he says. That's fine by me! I would like to be as far away from these people as I possibly can. Maybe if i look around some more, my mind will be unable to supply images for me and cause me to wake up! The Doctor Who episode I'm dreaming about only showed a few areas of this hospital, so it shouldn't take too long.

Collecting myself, I stood up, grabbing the wall in case my legs refused to work. Fortunately for me, my legs seemed to be steady. Looking once more out the window, I exited the room.

* * *

 

Ten minutes later, I still wasn't waking up. At this point, I was filled to the brim with frustration and panic. I had been walking around trying to find something that would tip me off that this was a dream, but there was nothing. I opened a door and the motion sensor lights came on. I groaned when I recognized the X-Ray room. I was about to head back out and leave, but I heard fast approaching footsteps. Not wanting to be found, I ran into the room and hid behind a windowed wall looking out on the machinery. Seconds later, I heard the sound of two people running in, followed by a whirring sound. They headed over to the side room I was in. It was Freema and sand shoes. They didn't notice me.

"When I say now, press the button."

"But I don't know which one!" Freema said, looking around in panic. He popped his head back in.

"Then find out!" Then he was gone and the whirring sound started up again. It was then that I noticed that there was a banging at the door.

Ok, maybe I won't be able to wake up until I go along with whatever is going on here. Hopefully, this will work and then I'll wake up nice and safe in a straight jacket.

I looked towards Freema, sorry, Martha and noticed her waving her hands over the controls in a panic, trying to find the right button. She ran over to the cupboard and pulled out an operators manual, trying to find something that will tell her what the right button was. It was then that I spoke up.

"It's the yellow one." Martha turned around in shock, never having noticed me. The banging became more persistent, causing her to quickly get over her shock.

"What?"

"It's the yellow one," I repeated, now standing from my hiding place. She looked uncertain.

"Are you sure?" I nodded my head.

"I've had enough X-rays in the last few years to at least know how they start the thing." She looked hesitant but then the man, the Doctor, interrupted.

"NOW!" She looked at me, closed her eyes, and slammed her hand on the yellow button. A bright blue-ish white color filled the room for a few moments. When it dissipated, a loud thump was heard, like someone falling to the floor. Concerned, I ran to the door, only to be held back by Martha.

"Wait a moment. It might not be safe." She turned to the window and addressed the Doctor. "What did you do?"

"Increased the radiation by five thousand per cent. Killed him dead." She looked at him concerned.

"But isn't that going to kill you?"

"Nah, it's only roentgen radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery. It's safe for you to come out. I've absorbed it all." Martha went out of the room. I followed, but stayed inside the doorway to watch. "All I need to do is expel it. If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go. Easy does it. Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out. Ah, ah, ah, ah! Itches, itches, itches, itches, it is hot. Hold on." While doing this, he was hopping about, kicking he leg as if he were trying to get mud off of his shoe. finally he stopped, took of the shoe, and threw it into a trash can behind him.

"Done."

"You're completely mad." Martha said looking at him in concern, as if debating his mental stability.

"You're right. I look daft with one shoe" He then took off his other shoe and threw it into the trash as well.

"Barefoot on the moon." Martha rolled her eyes at him.

"So what is that thing? And where's it from, the planet Zovirax?" The two of them went over to the body lying face down on the floor, both kneeling to get a better look at it. I stayed back, unsure of what I was supposed to do.

"It's just a Slab. They're called Slabs. Basic slave drones. See? Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish." He stood up and went to the X-ray machine, pulling out his sonic screwdriver.

"But it was that woman, Miss Finnegan. It was working for her, just like a servant." Unfortunately for Martha, he wasn't paying attention.

"My sonic screwdriver." He pouted.

"She was one of the patients, but-"

"Oh, no. My sonic screwdriver."

"She had a straw like some kind of vampire."

"I loved my sonic screwdriver."

"Doctor!" Martha and I both called, interrupting his bemoaning. Startled he looked at Martha and then towards me.

"When'd you get here?" He asked, sounding shocked at having not noticing me before.

"I was here when you two ran in." I said quietly. I shifted under his penetrating stare.

"Why are you down here in the first place?" He looked like he was going to continue but Martha stopped him.

"Doctor?" He whirled around, throwing his sonic behind him. It bounced off of my head and onto the floor. Shit that hurt I thought, rubbing my head as I looked back towards the two in front of me.

"Sorry." Martha raised her eyebrow at him.

"You called me Doctor." He said with a stupid grin.

"Anyway? Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mister Stoker's blood." The doctor looked at her in confusion.

"Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless. No. Yes, that's it. Wait a minute. Yes! Shape-changer. Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it. If she can assimilate Mister Stoker's blood, mimic the biology, she'll register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!" With that, he sprinted out the door and down the corridor, Martha and I close behind.

* * *

 

We found ourselves hiding behind a water cooler as the Slab ran by.

"That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs." He looked towards me. He looked like he was about to say something, but then he caught sight of the hand shaped bruises on my upper arms. His eyes immediately filled with concern.

"What happened to your arms?" Martha looked at them in shock and looked about ready to go into 'doctor mode', but the Doctor stopped her.

"It's nothing," I said, looking at the ground. He raised an eyebrow at me in concern.

"It's obviously not nothing, so tell me," he insisted.

"Honestly, it's nothing. Just something that happened before I got here. On my first... adventure," I said the last bit doubtfully, still sure this was all a figment of my imagination of some sort.

"What? This is only your second time meeting me?" He looked like someone had slapped him. I nodded slowly. His face soon resembled that of a fish's when out of water. Martha turned to him, trying to break the silence.

"What about you?" He snapped out of it, looking at her confused.

"What about me what?"

"Haven't you got back-up? You must have a partner or something? I mean, you obviously know her," She said pointing at me. He rolled his eyes at this.

"Oh. Humans. We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking personal questions? Come on." We stood up and made to go around the corner. Martha chuckled a bit.

"I like that. Humans. I'm still not convinced you're an alien."

Right on schedule, the Judoon popped up in front of us. They held out their scanner and did a once-over on the Doctor.

"Non-human," They declared. Martha looked at him in disbelieving shock.

"Oh my God, you really are." The Doctor rolled his eyes and grabbed her.

"And again." Then, we were off. We ran down the hall and into the stairwell. After running up like three floors, we finally ran out of the stair well into a hallway.

"They've done this floor. Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky." We continued on down the hallway. We came upon the woman who was sobbing earlier giving oxygen to patients.

"How much oxygen is there?" Martha asked. The woman shook her head in dismay.

"Not enough for all these people. We're going to run out."

"How are you feeling? Are you all right?" The Doctor asked in concern. Martha turned to him with a grin.

"I'm running on adrenaline."

"Welcome to my world."

"Speak for yourselves," I said, my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. Martha rubbed my back sympathetically as she spoke to the Doctor.

"What about the Judoon?" The Doctor immediately dismissed her question.

"Nah, great big lung reserves. It won't slow them down. Where's Mister Stoker's office?"

"It's this way," Martha said, leading us down the hall. A minute later, we reached the office. She opened the door and looked around the room, confused.

"She's gone. She was here." The Doctor wandered over to the man's body.

"Drained him dry. Every last drop. I was right. She's a plasmavore." Martha looked at him questioningly.

"What's she doing on Earth?

"Hiding. On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro. What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on." The doctor stood up and made for the door.

"Wait a minute." Martha called out. He turned to her to find her closing his eyes. We followed him outside and we walked down the hall a bit.

"Think, think, think. If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" The Doctor looked around for a few moments before spotting a sign that pointed towards the room for MRIs. His expression took on that of understanding.

"Ah. She's as clever as me. Almost." His ego growing was interrupted by the Judoon making an entrance.

"Find the non-human. Execute." The Doctor turned towards Martha and I.

"Martha, stay here. I need time. You've got to hold them up."

"How do I do that? Why can't she stay?" She asked. I nodded in agrement, confused as to why it seemed as if he was bringing me along.

"I'm not leaving her behind to mess things up. It's better that she comes with me so that I can keep an eye on her. Just forgive me for this. It could save a thousand lives. It means nothing. Honestly, nothing." He then grabbed her face and promptly kissed her. He then lightly grabbed my wrist and pulled me along towards the MRI room.

There are flashes of light going on inside the room when we enter. The scanner itself has energy dancing all over it, and the old lady was in the control booth, working. The Doctor grabbed her attention rather quickly.

"Have you seen them? There are these things. These great big space rhino things. I mean, rhinos from space. And we're on the moon! Great big space rhinos with guns on the moon. And we only came in for her Crohn's. Perfectly good treatment. The nurses were lovely. I said to my wife, I said I'd recommend this place to anyone, but then we end up on the moon. And did I mention the rhinos?" I looked at him in shock. Why is he saying I'm his wife? He turned to me with a look that said 'play along'. I hesitantly nodded. The old woman looked behind us.

"Hold them." We were suddenly grabbed from behind, myself in a choke hold while the doctor had his hands gripped behind his back. I clawed at the arm trying to get the arm to loosen up.

"Er, that, that big er machine thing. Is it supposed to be making that noise?" The Doctor asked, slightly panicked at my predicament.

"You wouldn't understand." The crone dismissed.

"But isn't that a magnetic resonance imaging thing? Like a ginormous sort of a magnet? I did magnetics GCSE. Well, I failed, but all the same." The Doctor pushed.

"The magnetic setting now increased to fifty thousand Tesla," She said smugly.

"Ooo, that's a bit strong, isn't it?" He continued, playing the part of a confused man. I could feel myself losing air faster as the Slab's grip tightened.

"It'll send out a magnetic pulse that'll fry the brain stems of every living thing within two hundred and fifty thousand miles. Except for me, safe in this room." She smirked, proud of herself.

"But er, hold on, hold on, I did geography GCSE. I passed that one. Doesn't that distance include the Earth?"

"Only the side facing the moon. The other half will survive. Call it my little gift." She said coldly. I lifted my hand and gave her the finger. The arm tightened a bit more. Totally worth it, I thought

"I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me, I'm a little out of my depth. I've spent the past fifteen years working as a postman. Why would you do that?"

"With everyone dead, the Judoon ships will be mine, to make my escape." I have to hand it to her, she really thought this through.

"No, that's weird. You're talking like you're some sort of an alien." The Doctor said in false dismissal.

"Quite so." His face looked gabberflasted.

"No!"

"Oh, yes." She smirked.

"You're joshing me."

"I am not."

"I'm talking to an alien? In hospital? What, has the place got an ET department?" I groaned at his joke, reminding him of the position I was in. He grimaced a bit before looking at the crone again.

"It's the perfect hiding place. Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast, and all this equipment ready to arm myself with should the police come looking."

"So, those rhinos, they're looking for you?" He asked.

"Yes. But I'm hidden." She held up her hand, showing off the black X on the back of it.

"Right. Maybe that's why they're increasing their scans." The Doctor nodded. She looked at him in a panic.

"They're doing what?"

"Big chief rhino boy, he said, no sign of a non-human, we must increase our scans up to setting two?" He said as if trying to remember what the "rhino" said.

"Then I must assimilate again." She walked over to her purse. She opened it and began fishing around for something inside.

"What does that mean?"

"I must appear to be human."

"Well, you're welcome to come home and meet the family. They'd be honored. We can have cake!"

"Why should I have cake? I've got my little straw." She said turning around with the stupid plastic death trap in her hand.

"Oh, that's nice. Milkshake? I like banana." I scrunched my nose up at that. I personally preferred strawberry kiwi. My vision began to tunnel as the tingly sensation in my arm began again.

"You're quite the funny man. And yet, I think, laughing on purpose at the darkness. I think it's time you found some peace. Steady him!" She said to the Slab holding us.

The Slab threw me to the side as he forced the Doctor to his knees and turned his head so the crone could reach his jugular with her straw.

"What are you doing?" He asked in confusion. The tingling evolved to burning.

"I'm afraid this is going to hurt. But if it's any consolation, the dead don't tend to remember." With that, she dove down, shoving the straw into his neck and began sucking. The image soon faded out into nothing.

* * *

 

My eyes finally focused on the bright blue sky as I gasped for air, practically coughing my lungs out. The ground felt different. It wasn't the linoleum floor that I had been previously lying on. Instead, it felt...like grass. I rolled over, curling up in a ball as I tried to get my lungs to work properly. If I'm really crazy, and this is all a hallucination/dream, then what the hell are those idiots with medical degrees doing to me?Evidentially, my coughs and gasping intakes of air alerted people to my presence.

"Mon dieu!₁" A woman's voice called out in horror. Soon following the outburst came the sound of muffled running as they made their way towards me. The woman collapsed on the ground in front of me, her big dress pooling around her as she leaned towards my face.

"Allô? Sa va? Comment tu t'appelles?₂" Her hand cupped my cheek as she spoke to me.

"Wh-what?" I whispered, trying and failing on preventing a coughing fit. The woman looked at me in understanding.

"Est-ce que tu parle l'anglais?₃" I nodded hoping that she was asking if I spoke english. She nodded and then tried again.

"Are you alright? What is your name child?" She asked concerned. It was slightly difficult to understand her because of her accent, but I could make it out.

"Car" Cue coughing fit. "Carli," I finally uttered out. "Wh-where am I?"

"Child, did you hit your head? In fact, how did you even arrive here? You are in the palace of Versailles," She said, her eyes concerned.

"I-I don't know. The- the man said... The Doctor said..." I uttered out, only to be interrupted.

"What man? How old are you, child? Did this man harm you? Is this where these bruises came from?" She pushed away some of my hair that had fallen in front of my face.

"I'm...I'm seventeen. And no, he didn't hurt me...well...he did, but... it...it was an accident..."

It was then that I notice who she was. Sophia Myles, the woman who played Madame De Pompadour. This hallucination must be from before the Doctor revealed his name to her, She looked over my appearance and grimaced in shock and outrage.

"Child, what on God's Earth are you wearing?!" I looked down confused, and promptly blushed. Oh. Yeah. I'm still in my hospital gown. She shook her head and then turned to a servant woman who stood nearby. It was then I noticed the crowd that had formed.

"Apporter-la quelque chose à se couvrir jusqu'à ce que nous trouvons quelque chose de plus approprié à l'usage.₄" The servant nodded and rushed off. The woman then addressed the crowd.

"Vas-y! Tu ne vois pas que la pauvre fille est indécent? Fermer!₅" The crowd immediately dispersed. The maid returned a moment later with a large cloak. The woman helped to wrap it around me and helped me up.

"Come along child. Let us get you inside and taken care of."

With that, they led me across the lush green lawns and inside the infamous French palace.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Good heavens!
> 
> 2) Hello? Are you alright? What is your name?
> 
> 3) Do you speak english?
> 
> 4) Bring her something to cover herself until we find something more suitable to wear.
> 
> 5) Be gone with you. Can't you see that the poor girl is indecent? Avert your eyes!
> 
> Hello again! Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews! Also a massive thank you to those who followed and favorited this story! Anyways, let me know what you thought of the chapter!
> 
> -AvengersSummerHome
> 
> Ps. For those readers who have Crohn's disease, or know someone who does, I have Crohn's myself, so I'm basing my character's experiences with it off of mine. I have a relatively milder form of it than most, as I have noticed from my cousin's case, so I thought I should let you know if something is different.
> 
> See you all soon!


	3. Corsets Are the Devil's Main Form of Torture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just supposed to be another test. They knock me out, stick a tube in me to look around, and then I'm done. But no... Now I'm supposedly in some alternate dimension that houses one of my favorite shows. Fading from one place to the next, adventure after adventure, is really tiring! I just want my mom, my bed, and my phone so I can read fanfiction. Is that too much to ask? (Also posted on FF.net)

Six. Months.

Six freaking months I have been here and I still haven't woken up. I have to say, my hallucinations are really persistent. However, at this point, I'm starting to doubt that I'm dreaming. I had only been to Versailles once on a trip to Europe with my school and we only saw certain areas of the palace. Plus, the majority of the original furnishings had been destroyed in the French Revolution so it had been drastically different to what I've been seeing for the time I've been here. As if all the ornate designs with unneeded gold literally everywhere wasn't enough, now there's also unnecessary extravagant furnishings and decor. My mind would never have been able to make that up or the rooms that I had never been in during my school trip.

Then there's the fact that I learned French. I've been taking five years of Latin and my repertoire of French consisted only of what was in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. That's not a lot. There is also the fact that I can read. From what I've heard, in the mindscape, it is impossible to read something because the words and letters get jumbled up. Also, in that one episode of Teen Wolf, a telling factor that someone was dreaming was having extra fingers. I've checked multiple times. Still ten.

Plus, no one would be able to imagine the kind of pain that comes from wearing a corset.

"Carli!" I snapped back to attention as my name was called. I turned and looked at Reinette and Catherine, both looking at me funny.

"What?" I asked, confused. They gave each other looks and looked at me again.

"You were not paying attention," Catherine explained. I grinned sheepishly at them.

"Sorry. What were you saying?" I asked.

"We asked you if you were excited for the Yew Tree Ball tomorrow." Reinette grinned, already knowing my answer. I groaned.

"Why must I go? I'm not even an official member of the courts! I understand that it is a celebration of the wedding of the Dauphin to Maria Theresa of Spain, but I truely doubt my presence will be missed," I said in annoyance. Reinette rolled her eyes.

"You just do not wish to wear the gown that we had made for you," She said in exasperation.

"Okay, yes. I hate wearing these kinds of dresses," I said gesturing to the one I was wearing (AN: Dress link on profile). "I feel like a clothed wall! I understand the concept of extenuating the hips, but this is ridiculous!"

"You should be proud to be wearing the height of French fashion. Most would love to be in your position and be able to wear such finery. After all the time spent making it, you could at least wear it this once. Besides, you have to go! I've already specified with the cooks to make a separate meal for you so that you do not become ill," Reinette said. I sighed as we turned the corner towards her chambers.

"Fine, I'll wear it. I hate when you pull the guilt trip card." I grumbled. Catherine laughed quietly at me. Reinette grinned in triumph as we finally entered her chambers.

"Good." She said. She walked over to the manikin that held her dress and began inspecting it. Catherine and I looked at each other and began laughing. Reinette turned to us with her hands on her hips. "What?"

"You seem awfully concerned with how you're going to look at the ball tomorrow," I said. Catherine continued.

"It doesn't have anything to do with a certain king of France, does it?" Our teasing caused her to blush deeply. She went over to her bed and plopped down.

"So what if it does?" She said defensively. Smiling, I went and sat down next to her, wrapping my arm around her. Catherine sat on her other side and did the same.

"Stop worrying. He's going to love you. He'd be mad not to. By the end of tomorrow night, you'll have him wrapped around your finger," I reassured her. She sighed relaxing against me.

"You're right," She said. She then straightened up out of my grasp and looked at me. "Now then. Would you mind ever so much sharing one of your stories?" She asked. Catherine looked towards me expectantly. I grinned nodding. I had gained somewhat of a reputation as a storyteller among those who lived in the palace. I would tell them stories of far off lands and magical adventures. Reinette and Catherine got as comfortable as they could on the bed in those god forsaken dresses and waited for me to begin.

"Once, in the far of deserts of the east, there was the kingdom of Agrabah. It was ruled by the Sultan Hamed, who had a lovely daughter named Jasmine..."

* * *

 

I shifted uncomfortably in front of the mirror. I lifted a hand in an attempt to adjust the neck line only to have it slapped away. I glared at the attacker.

"Oh hush you look beautiful. Stop fussing," Reinette admonished as she pinned her last curl to her head. I grumbled in response but obeyed. The dress was beautiful, but that didn't stop me from being uncomfortable in it. (AN: Dress link in profile). She gave us a quick glance over before nodding in satisfaction, placing her arm in mine, and leading us from the room. Catherine had already left for the party. As we walked down the hallway, I saw a figure up ahead enter a room.

"Isn't that the king?" I asked, motioning towards the figure. Reinette, upon confirming that it was, turned towards me pleadingly. I laughed and pushed her towards the room. "Go get your king. I can make it to the mirror room by myself." She grinned and, once she straightened her dress and hair, made her way to the room.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" I called after her. She turned and stuck out her tongue at me before disappearing in through the doorway. Laughing quietly, I continued on. A few moments later, the king passed by going in the same direction I was and nodded in acknowledgement at me. Slightly puzzled why Reinette wasn't with him, I opened my mouth to call after him. I froze as a loud commotion sounded from the room Reinette went into. I spun around and sprinted back the way I came. Slamming the door open, I found Reinette standing in the room with four other people. I rushed over to her and grasped her shoulders as I looked her over.

"Are you okay?!" I gasped out, trying to catch my breath. Finding nothing, I pulled her into a hug. "I heard a loud commotion and feared the worse!" She hugged me back.

"I am fine," She reassured me. The sound of someone clearing their throat reminded me that other people were in the room. I spun around and stood in front of her only to gape in shock. Standing in front of us were Ten, Billie Piper, and Noel Clarke. Or Rose and Mickey. Even though logic told me that this was real, I still had my doubts. They gaped back.

"Carli?" Ten asked bewildered. I didn't respond. Reinette came up next to me and took my arm.

"Carli? Are you alright?" I shook myself out of my daze and looked at her.

"Yeah... I'm fine," I turned back to the group of time travelers. "Hi Doctor. Rose. Mickey." I waved. Rose and Mickey waved back. I shifted uncomfortably under Ten's gaze, reaching my hand up to rub my arm awkwardly. Reinette, seeing this, stiffened next to me.

"Doctor?" She asked angrily. I turned to her confused but she had already started advancing on Ten. He looked at her confused. She got right up in his face, fuming over something.

"When she arrived here, she had bruises in the shape of hand prints littering her upper arms and her neck. She claimed a man who she called the Doctor did that to her. Now you arrive and she is the most uncomfortable I have ever seen her. Are you that Doctor? How dare you lay a hand on her?!" She spat angrily. Ten gaped in shock and looked at me, looking me over in concern. Rose and Mickey stood off to the side unsure what to do, but also looking at me in shock and concern.

"Bruises?" Ten asked worried. He went to move towards me but Reinette halted him in his tracks.

"Do not even think about going near her you bas-"

"Reinette!" I cut her off. "It... it wasn't him." I stuttered. She looked at me in confusion.

"What?" She asked.

"It was a different man called the Doctor. Not him. And the bruises on my neck were from someone I couldn't see," I explained. She sighed and turned to Ten.

"I apologize then, Fireplace Man. Since she's arrived here we've become good friends and I don't want harm coming to her." She stated. Ten nodded.

'It's fine. I would do the same," He said looking back at me. "When did you get here?"

"Around six months ago. I just appeared one day on the grounds and I've been here since." I said.

"What? Six months?" He asked confused. I nodded. He was about to say something else when a whirring sound came from over by the door. We spun around to see a droid in french attire covered in ice. I grabbed Reinette and pulled her behind me as it began to move. Rose and Mickey raised their fire extinguishers.

"What's it doing?" Mickey asked. Ten walked up and started to examine it.

"Switching back on. Melting the ice." He said.

"And then what?" Mickey asked, eyes trained on the droid.

"Then it kills everyone in the room," As if on cue, the droid lunged out its arm towards Ten. "Focuses the mind, doesn't it? Who are you? Identify yourself." It just tilted its head at him. Ten looked back to Reinette. "Order it to answer me." She looked at him in confusion.

"Why should it listen to me?" She asked, incredulous. He turned and walked towards us, going around me to get to her.

"I don't know. It did when you were a child. Let's see if you've still got it." He said. Reinette stepped out from her spot behind me.

"Answer his question. Answer any and all questions put to you." She ordered. Her eyes were wide with fear. I took her hand offering some form of comfort.

"I am repair droid seven." It stated. It put down it's arm.

"What happened to the ship, then? There was a lot of damage." Ten asked.

"Ion storm. Eighty two percent systems failure." It replied.

"That ship hasn't moved in over a year. What's taken you so long?" Ten asked incredulously.

"We did not have the parts." It stated. Mickey chuckled at that.

"Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts." I turned my head and glared at him. His smile dropped and he went quiet.

"What's happened to the crew? Where are they?" Ten asked.

"We did not have the parts." It repeated.

"There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?" He asked again.

"We did not have the parts."

"Fifty people don't just disappear. Where." He advanced toward the droid only to stop in realization. "Oh. You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew."

"The crew?" Mickey asked in horror. Rose closed her eyed for a moment.

"We found a camera with an eye in it, and there was a heart wired in to machinery." She said weakly.

"It was just doing what it was programmed to. Repairing the ship any way it can, with whatever it could find. No one told it the crew weren't on the menu. What did you say the flight deck smelt of?" Ten asked them.

"Someone cooking." She replied. Mickey looked at the ground in shock and horror.

"Flesh plus heat. Barbeque." I flinched. The idea of smelling people burning made me feel nauseous. "But what are you doing here? You've opened up time windows. That takes colossal energy. Why come here? You could have gone to your repair yard. Instead you come to eighteenth century France? Why?" He wondered.

"One more part is required." It stated. Ten looked back at Reinette.

"Then why haven't you taken it?" He asked.

"She is incomplete." I gripped Reinettes hand tighter in mine. She squeezed back.

"What, so, that's the plan, then. Just keep opening up more and more time windows, scanning her brain, checking to see if she's done yet." He mocked.

"Why her? You've got all of history to choose from. Why specifically her?" Rose piped up.

"We are the same." Reinette straightened next to me, her face morphing into one of disgust.

"We are not the same. We are in no sense the same." She claimed.

"We are the same." It repeated.

"Get out of here. Get out of here this instant!" She shouted. The droid pressed a device on it's wrist and teleported back to the ship.

"Reinette, no." Ten said, but it was too late. "It's back on the ship. Rose, take Mickey and Arthur. Get after it. Follow it. Don't approach it, just watch what it does." He told them, moving towards the mirror door.

"Arthur?" Rose asked, confused.

"Good name for a horse."

"No, you're not keeping the horse." She said like a mother would to a child.

"I let you keep Mickey. Now go! Go! Go!" He ordered. They ran through and Ten closed the window behind them. He then advanced towards Reinette.

"Reinette, you're going to have to trust me. I need to find out what they're looking for. There's only one way I can do that. It won't hurt a bit." He said placing his hands on her head. She flinched closing her eyes.

"Fireplace man, you are inside my mind." She said in awe.

"Oh dear, Reinette. You've had some cowboys in here." He said concerned.

"You are in my memories. You walk among them." She wondered.

"If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. I won't look. Oh, actually there's a door just there. You might want to cl. Oh, actually, several." She opened her eyes for a moment and winked at me. I snickered quietly.

"To walk among the memories of another living soul. Do you ever get used to this?" She asked.

"I don't make a habit of it." He replied.

"How can you resist?" He ignored her.

"What age are you?" He asked. Reinette's eyebrows raised.

"So impertinent a question so early in the conversation. How promising." She smirked. I rolled my eyes fondly.

"No, not my question, theirs. You're twenty three and for some reason, that means you're not old enough." Reinette flinched as if in pain, her face screwing up. "Sorry, you might find old memories reawakening. Side effect." He apologized.

"Oh, such a lonely childhood." She said sadly.

"It'll pass. Stay with me."

"Oh, Doctor. So lonely. So very, very alone." She whispered.

"What do you mean, alone? You've never been alone in your life. When did you start calling me Doctor?" He asked in confusion. He looked down at her with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Such a lonely little boy. Lonely then and lonelier now. How can you bear it?" She looked up at him in sadness. He dropped his hands from her head and backed away.

"How did you do that?" He asked, appearing startled.

"A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction." She stepped towards him. "Oh, Doctor. My lonely Doctor. Dance with me." A smirk grew across her face.

"I can't." He insisted.

"Dance with me." She repeated.

"This is the night you dance with the King." He tried.

"Then first, I shall make him jealous." She stated mischievously.

"I can't." He stated firmly.

"Doctor. Doctor who? It's more than just a secret, isn't it?" She approached him, face solemn.

"What did you see?" He asked, worried.

"That there comes a time, Time Lord, when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance. If you are so insistent on not dancing with me, dance with Carli." My eyebrows flew up in surprise.

"What?" We asked in unison. She smirked.

"I'm not letting up on this. Come dance." She ordered us. After a moment of standing there in confusion she huffed in annoyance and grabbed our arms. With a smile, she dragged us to the mirror room, shoved us together on the dance floor and left us as she went towards the king. We stood there for a moment before I started laughing. He looked down at me for a moment before joining in.

"Sorry about her," I said with a grin. "She's very persistent when it comes to getting what she wants." He shook his head.

"It's fine. I'm used to it," He said giving me a look. I looked at him confused, but before I was able to ask him about it, the song ended and the next one started. Reinette swung by in the arms of the king and gave the two of us a look. I sighed and turned to Ten.

"She's not going to let us leave until we dance," I explained. He laughed a bit and nodded. He took my hand and placed his other on my waist. Before we could even start, Catherine spun by with some lord and waggled her eyebrows at me. I did the mature thing and stuck my tongue out at her. I looked back at Ten when he started laughing. Soon, we were laughing and dancing in the palace of Versailles.

* * *

 

"So, six months! How was that?" Ten asked. We were currently walking back to the room with the portal. I shrugged.

"Fun, I guess. I turned eighteen, I made friends with major people in history, and I learned French! That was interesting. I also had to completely adjust my diet while I've been here. The rich and savory foods that they serve the aristocracy don't react very well with my stomach. Also, since I've been without my meds for six months, my crohn's has gone to shit." I rambled. He chucked, nodding.

"I have your meds on the TARDIS. I'll give you some when we get back to it." I nodded and smiled at him in thanks. We were silent for a little longer before he started talking again.

"So, how far along are you?"

"Huh? I asked. He started making hand gestures.

"You know... How long have you been...going about the universe?" He asked, trying to find he right words for it. I nodded in understanding.

"Oh. Well... I've been here for about six months...so about that long," I said. He gaped at me in shock. "What? I mean I've been two other places since this started up, but I wasn't there too long..." I trailed off.

"You're so new..." He said in shock. By then, we had reached the room. Snapping out of his shock, he walked over to the mirror and opened the portal. He motioned for me to follow him and walked through. I made to go after him only to get stuck in the opening.

"Uh...Doctor?" I called out. He turned around and immediately started laughing at the predicament I was in. I blushed.

"Oh shut up! Help me out!" Nodding through his laughter, he grabbed my outstretched hands and tugged. In seconds, I was free. However, I lost my balance and fell face first on the metal grating. This only served to fuel his fire. I struggled to stand up and, once upright, looked at him with my hands on my hips.

"Are you done?" I asked, annoyed. He held up a finger motioning for me to wait a bit longer. I rolled my eyes. "You try wearing this thing. We'll so who's laughing then..." I grumbled. He finally calmed down.

"Oh I needed that!" He exclaimed. I glared at him. "Right then. Let's go! Where is Rose and Mickey?" He started walking down the corridor. I ran to catch up. We walked in silence for a minute or so before he broke it.

"So.. that dress..." He started. I cut him off.

"Yeah yeah... I know. I look like a clothed wall. Heck, I could be a barricade for revolutionaries in this thing!" He smirked.

"No no, you...you look great." He giggled. I frowned and punched his arm. He pouted at me as he rubbed his arm. Giving him the middle finger, I continued on. We walked for a minute more before he suddenly stopped. I could hear Rose talking a little further up.

Ten immediately sprung into action. He took off his tie and put it on his head, put on a pair of sunglasses, unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt, and poured a red liquid into a goblet that he procured from his pocket. He then turned to me.

"Run your hands through my hair." He ordered. I raised my eyebrow at him but complied. Soon his hair became sticky-uppy as it began to defy gravity. Once I finished, he stepped back and struck a pose. "How do I look?"

"Drunk," I deadpanned. He grinned.

"Good." He spun on his heal and began heading down to where Rose's voice was sounding. He began to stumble into things as he walked, creating a loud commotion. "I could've danced all night, I could've danced all night!" He sang in a drunk tone. I followed after him. I could hear Rose more clearly now.

"They called him the...They called him the, the..." She said as Ten swayed into the room. I stopped by the doorway and poked my head in to watch.

"And still have begged for more. I could've spread my wings and done a thou." He cut himself off. "Have you met the French? My god, they know how to party." He said exuberantly.

"Oh, look at what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm." Rose said sarcastically.

"Oh, you sound just like your mother." He replied, annoyed.

"What've you been doing? Where've you been?" She loudly asked.

"Well, among other things, I think just invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early. Do you know, they've never even seen a banana before. Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are good." Rose rolled her eyes as he caught sight of the droid holding a blade at Rose. "Oh ho, ho, ho, ho, brilliant. It's you. You're my favourite, you are. You are the best! Do you know why? Because you're so thick. You're Mister Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania. And so's your dad." I laughed quietly from my spot behind the door.

"Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for? Her milometer. They want to know how old she is. Know why? Because this ship is thirty seven years old, and they think that when Reinette is thirty seven, when she's complete, then her brain will be compatible. So, that's what you're missing, isn't it, hmm? Command circuit. Your computer. Your ship needs a brain. And for some reason, God knows what, only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do." He explained as he sat down by Mickey.

"The brain is compatible." The droid stated.

"Compatible? If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine." He said as he crawled over Mickey to stand next to the droid. He ripped the mask off of it and then poured the contents of the liquid on it. Like most technology, it seized up and shut down.

"Multigrain anti-oil. If it moves, it doesn't." He said. Rose sighed in relief. But then the other droids started advancing on them. Leaping into action, Ten lunged across the console unit and flipped a lever that shut them down.

"Right, you two, that's enough lying about. Time we got the rest of the ship turned off." He said as he began to undo Rose's restraints. I came into the room to help Mickey get out. He smiled in thanks when he was free.

"Are those things safe?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah. Safe. Safe and thick, way I like them. Okay. All the time windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down. Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs? I had them a minute ago. I was using them as castanets." Ten asked as he searched his pockets. He went around the back of the console to try and shut down the portals.

"Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty seven?" Rose asked.

"With the amount of damage to these circuits, they did well to hit the right century. Trial and error after that. The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?" Ten wondered as he and Mickey fiddles around with the controls. They stopped as a bell sounded.

"What's that?" Rose asked.

"I don't know. Incoming message?" He wondered, looking up at the ceiling.

"From who?" Mickey asked.

"Report from the field. One of them must still be out there with Reinette. That's why I can't close the windows. There's an override." He said quickly, trying again to work the controls. Behind him, the droid reactivated and poured out the anti-oil onto his sand shoes.

"Well, that was a bit clever." Ten said, unable to come up with anything else to say. The lever flipped itself back up and the droids reactivated. I jumped away from one of them and moved closer to Ten as they shot up.

"Right. Many things about this are not good. Message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?" He asked.

"She is complete. It begins." A droid said. They simultaneously pressed a device on their wrists and teleported away.

"What's happening?" Rose asked.

"One of them must have found the right time window. Now it's time to send in the troops. And this time they're bringing back her head." He gravely replied. I shuddered at that. I did not want to ever see any of my friends dead.

"Come on, we need to find the right portal," Ten said. We nodded and followed him out into the corridor. We stopped in front of a large tapestry. "Alright. Rose, I need you to go through here and warn Reinette about the droids."

"Me? Why can't Carli do it? She's friends with her." Rose asked. I nodded in agreement.

"She might have some idea where the portal is. Otherwise I would ask her to do it," Ten explained. I guess that makes sense. Rose nodded and went through the tapestry to find Reinette. Mickey, Ten, and I continued down the corridor to find the last time window. After a few minutes, we finally found it.

"Is this it then?" Mickey asked. Ten nodded.

"Yes and we need to hurry. Go find Rose. I'm going to try and set up an audio link," He said as he began working. Mickey and I rushed out of the room back to the tapestry.

"Rose? Rose?" Mickey called out. He went through the tapestry. "Rose! The time window where she's thirty seven. We found it. Right under our noses." He explained. Suddenly Reinette walked through the portal and onto the ship. Rose ran after her.

"No, you can't go in there, the Doctor will go mad-" Reinette cut her off.

"So, this is his world." She said in fearful awe. She then caught sight of me as she turned around. She gasped out in shock.

"Carli!" Her eyes became glassy with tears. She ran up and pulled me into her arms. "You're here!" I patted her back.

"Of course I am. I left with the Doctor after the ball." I said. She shook her head and pulled back.

"But I couldn't remember!" I looked at her oddly.

"What?" She was about to respond when screams sounded throughout the corridors.

"What was that?" She asked, eyes wide with fear.

"The time window. The Doctor fixed an audio link." Mickey explained looking at Rose.

"Those screams. Is that my future?" She asked, gripping my hand. I squeezed it back, offering some form of comfort.

"Yeah. I'm sorry." Rose said weakly.

"Then I must take the slower path." She said in resignation.

"Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now. You promised. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time." Future Reinette's voice flooded the corridor, Reinette looked around.

"That's my voice." She stated, slightly hysterical.

"Rose, come on. We've got to go. There's, there's a problem." Mickey said. Rose turned to him.

"Give me a moment." She insisted. Mickey nodded and left. Rose slowly walked over to us.

"You okay?" She asked Reinette.

"No, I'm very afraid. But you and I both know, don't we, Rose, the Doctor is worth the monsters." She said, calming down. I squeezed her hand again. She turned to me and gave me one last hug before disappearing behind the tapestry.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Future Reinette's voice sounded again. Rose turned to run after Mickey.

"You coming?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, just a moment." She nodded and headed off down the corridor. I turned and went through the tapestry.

* * *

 

It was daylight. I figured that a couple hours had passed since when Rose had talked to her in the show, it was night. Not sure where to start looking for Reinette, I started down the hall towards her chambers. I was almost to the end of the hall when the clacking of heals sounded. Around the corned came Catherine. She froze at the sight of me. A moment later, tears filled her eyes and she rushed towards me, pulling me into a hug.

"Carli! Oh thank the Lord you are alright! No one has seen you since the ball and you had left with that man. We were so worried!" She exclaimed. I hugged her back.

"I'm alright. I'm sorry that I've worried you. I didn't mean to do that," I explained rubbing her back. After a moment or so, I pulled back. "I'm looking for Reinette. Do you know where she is?" I asked. She nodded.

"She's out on the grounds reading. I'll take you there," She replied. She linked our arms together and led me out onto the palace grounds. We walked mostly in silence, only talking occasionally about what happened while I was gone. We finally arrived and I could see Reinette sitting on a bench in the shade. I hugged Catherine in thanks and headed over. Reinette looked up when she heard me approaching.

"Carli!" She exclaimed. He put down her book and embraced me. "It has been a long time."

"How long has it been?" I asked confused. I thought maybe only a few hours had passed.

"It has been five years since I last saw you," She explained. I gaped at her in shock. "My birthday is in 5 months."

"But I stepped through seconds after you," I said in shock. Her eyebrows furrowed, but she shook her head.

"It matters not. I have something much more important to tell you." She gestured to the bench and we both sat down. I looked at her confused.

"What is it?" I asked.

"When you disappeared after the ball, the strangest and I believe the most horrific thing happened." My eyes widened in concern.

"What happened? Is everyone okay?" She nodded.

"Yes everyone was fine. We... every memory e had of you disappeared. It was as if you had never existed." She said sadly. "I only remembered again when I saw you on the ship and again when you walked up." I gaped in shock and horror.

"What?" I asked weakly. She pulled me into her arms. "How could I have just been...erased from all of your minds?!" She shushed me.

"I do not know, but it happened." She said. I leaned back and looked at her. "I worry that it will happen again but I fear there is nothing that can be done."

"We don't know that," I said. She smiled sadly at me.

"I do hope that this will not continue. For now, I believe you should return to the Doctor's world and help him," She said. I made to protest but she stopped me. "I will see you in five months, right?" I nodded. She smiled. "You being there will be enough of a present. Now hurry before it's too late." She pulled me up and hugged me.

"I'll see you soon," I mumbled into her shoulder.

"See you soon," She agreed. I stepped back and waved goodbye before heading back into the palace and in through the tapestry.

I walked down the corridor trying to remember where they were. I was about to call out when I heard Rose.

"You found it, then?" She asked. Sighing in relief, I followed the voice until I arrived in the room with the last time window.

"They knew I was coming. They blocked it off." Ten said running about. On the wall was a screen that showed the chaos occurring in Versailles.

"I don't get it. How come they got in there?" Rose asked, looking confused at the screen.

"They teleported. You saw them. As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked, their short range teleports will do the trick." Ten replied as he used his sonic screwdriver on the console.

"Well, we'll go in the Tardis!" She reasoned.

"We can't use the Tardis. We're part of events now." Ten explained. I furrowed my eyebrows. What does being part of events have to do with using the TARDIS? Would it be like when the Master came back to life and as the Doctor traveled there, it was happening simultaneously?

"Well, can't we just smash through?" Mickey asked.

"Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck." Ten replied running about. I stepped out of the way when he almost ran into me. He paused for a second, looking at me in confusion, before he continued on.

"We don't have a truck." Mickey stated the obvious.

"I know we don't have a truck!" Ten shouted, frantic.

"Well, we've got to try something." I smiled at Rose. She always cared about others. Even if they made her jealous.

"No. Smash the glass, smash the time window. There'd be no way back." He explained, a grave look on his face.

"Could everyone just calm down? Please." We all turned and saw Reinette on the screen. We watched as she calmed the panicking members of the court and talk with the droids. When she was forced to her knees, I turned towards Ten and saw he had made his decision. He rushed out of the room and returned on Arthur. He was about to urge him towards the screen when I held out my hand. He looked at me confused.

"She is my friend. I need to be there for her," I stated. After a second of deliberation, he nodded and hauled me up behind him. I looked at Rose and Mickey. "Be back soon!" I smiled at them. Then, we were off, galloping towards the portal. Arthur neighed as we got closer and soon enough, we were jumping through the glass and landing in the middle of the fray at the palace. We slowed to a stop and Ten dismounted and then helped me down. He turned to Reinette and grinned.

"Madame de Pompadour. You look younger every day." He said. She smiled at him.

"What the hell is going on?" The king exclaimed.

"Oh. This is my lover, the King of France." Reinette explained pointing at him.

"Hi Louis," I said waving. He looked at me, eyes widening for a moment before he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yeah? Well, I'm the Lord of Time, and I'm here to fix the clock." Ten said as he walked up to one of the droids. He ripped off it's mask and everyone around us gasped. It reached up and pointed it's blade at him.

"Forget it. It's over. For you and for me." He said looking up at the smashed mirror. Now, instead of the ship, there was a brick wall. "Talk about seven years bad luck. Try three thousand." It creaked and, I assumed, looked at the wall as well. It tried pressing the device on it's wrist only for nothing to happen.

"The link with the ship is broken. No way back. You don't have the parts. How many ticks left in that clockwork heart, huh? A day? An hour? It's over. Accept that. I'm not winding you up." As if realizing their defeat, they all wound down and stopped working. One of them fell over and shattered on the ground. some of the women in the crowd cried out in shock. I ran over to Reinette and helped her up. She smiled at me in thanks. Ten ran over and stood next to me.

"You all right?" He asked her.

"What's happened to them?" She asked, looking at the droids.

"They've stopped. They have no purpose now." He said, looking sadly at the broken mirror. I took his hand and squeezed it in comfort.

A while later, we found ourselves at a window in Reinette's chambers. We were all looking up at the stars that glowed across the night sky. I never got tired of seeing the stars like this, before light pollution made it next to impossible to see them.

"You know all their names, don't you?" Reinette suddenly asked. We turned to look at her. "I saw that in your mind. The name of every star."

"What's in a name? Names are just titles. Titles don't tell you anything." Hew said. I snorted thinking of all the times he confused people with his 'name'.

"Like the Doctor." She teased.

"Like Madame de Pompadour." He shot back, taking a sip of his wine.

"I have often wished to see those stars a little closer. Just as you have, I think." She said wistfully, looking out at the sky.

"From time to time." He responded. She looked at him sadly.

"In saving me, you trapped yourself. Did you know that would happen?" She asked.

"Mmm. Pretty much." He said, looking back at her.

"Yet, still you came." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I? Catch me doing that again." He said with a smirk.

"There were many doors between my world and yours. Can you not use one of the others?" She asked, trying to make him feel better.

"When the mirror broke, the shock would have severed all the links with the ship. There'll be a few more broken mirrors and torn tapestries around here, I'm afraid, wherever there was a time window." His head snapped towards her. "I'll, I'll pay for any damage. Er, that's a thought, I'm going to need money. I was always a bit vague about money. Where do you get money?" He stammered, completely out of his comfort zone.

"So, here you are, my lonely angel, stuck on the slow path with me." She said with a small smile.

"Yep, the slow path. Here's to the slow path." He said lifting his glass. We both raised ours in response and took a sip.

"It's a pity. I think I would've enjoyed the slow path." She said quietly, looking at the ground.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." Ten replied. She raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"Oh, aren't you? Take my hand." She said putting down her goblet. We grabbed her hands and, with a resigned sort of sigh, led us from the room into her bedroom.

"It's not a copy, it's the original. I had it moved here and was exact in every detail." She said, looking at the fireplace behind her bed.

"The fireplace. The fireplace from your bedroom. When did you do this?" He asked as he approached it. We followed behind him.

"Many years ago, in the hope that a door once opened, may someday open again. One never quite knows when one needs one's Doctor. It appears undamaged. Do you think it will still work?" She asked as we stopped next to him.

"You broke the bond with the ship when you moved it, which means it was offline when the mirror broke. That's what saved it." His thinking face appeared. "But the link is basically physical, and it's still physically here. Which might just mean, if I'm lucky. If I'm very, very, very, very, very, very lucky." He said, knocking on parts of the wood.

"Ah ha!" He suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" Reinette asked.

"Loose connection." He replied, excited. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and used it on the fireplace. "Need to get a man in." He banged on the top of it and a loud clunk sounded from within.

"Wish me luck!" He said, activating it.

"No." She replied, squeezing my hand. The fireplace turned, taking a confused Doctor with it. Seconds later, his voice called from it.

"Madame de Pompadour! Still want to see those stars?" He called out. We knelt in front of the fireplace and saw him through the flames.

"More than anything." She replied, smiling.

"Give me two minutes. Pack a bag." He replied, grinning.

"Am I going somewhere?" She asked, bemused.

"Go to the window. Pick a star, any star." He said. Then he got up and disappeared. Reinette grabbed my hand and ran to the window. She looked around for a moment before pointing at a star.

"Which one is that?" She asked, pointing at one. I followed her finger and tried to decipher what one she was pointing at.

"I believe...that one is Sirius, the Dog Star." I replied. She grinned at me and nodded excitedly.

"That one, then." She stated. We then sat down on the couch and waited for the Doctor to return. Two minutes passed. Then twenty. Then two hours. Wondering where he could be, I stood.

"Where are you going?" Reinette asked. I smiled at her.

"I'm just going to see where that idiot has gone. I'll be back in a sec." She nodded and I went over to he fireplace, activated it, and entered the ship. I felt like I was forgetting something, but I shrugged off the feeling as Ten ran into the room.

"What are you doing here?" He asked me. I looked at him concerned.

"I came to get you. You've been gone for two hours," I replied. He looked at me in shock.

"I've only been gone a minute!" He exclaimed. Now concerned, we went back to the fireplace and reentered Versailles.

"Reinette? You there, Reinette?" Ten called out. I looked around the room. Something was off. The room seemed colder and darker. The rain was pouring outside. We looked at each other in confusion before leaving the room.

"Reinette?" He called again. We turned a corner only to run into the king. "Oh, hello."

"You just missed her. She'll be in Paris by six." He said. I froze in horror. No. Please no.

"Ah." Ten said, not understanding. The king looked at us and stepped away from the window in shocked awe.

"Good Lord. She was right. She said you never looked a day older. So many years since I saw you last, but not a day of it on your face. And you, Carli! You look the same as you did before you disappeared from the Yew Tree ball all those years ago." He said. I didn't respond, tears beginning to fall down my face. I walked over the window and looked out at the carriage that sat on the road outside. My hand flew to my mouth as a strangled sob escaped. I could hear the king behind me opening and closing a drawer.

"She spoke of you many times. Often wished you'd visit again. You know how women are." He said. A moment or so later, the king stood next to me.

"There she goes." He whispered. We watched as the hearse began to drive away.

"Leaving Versailles for the last time." Ten walked up next to us. "Only forty three when she died. Too young. Too young. Illness took her in the end. She always did work too hard. What does she say?" He asked Ten. He didn't respond, only put the letter in his coat.

"Of course. Quite right." He said. He turned to me. "She left this for you as well." He held out a rectangular package. I took in quietly. He nodded. "It was good to see you again, Carli. Even though it is during such a sad time." He turned to look back out the window.

Ten quietly took my arm and led be back through the fireplace, through the ship, and into the TARDIS. Rose and Mickey were waiting for us. I walked past them and sat on the captain's chair, in shock.

"Why her? Why did they think they could repair the ship with the head of Madame de Pompadour?" Rose asked.

"We'll probably never know. There was massive damage in the computer memory banks. It probably got confused. The Tardis can close down the time windows now the droids are gone. Should stop it causing any more trouble." he said, fiddling with the controls.

"It was the name," I said quietly. They turned and looked at me.

"What?" Mickey asked. I looked up.

"The ship. It was called the S.S. Madame de...Madame de Pompadour. That's why." I said, my bottom lip trembling. I stared off at a random corner in the room, trying to fight off tears. After a moment of silence, they continued.

"Are you all right?" Rose asked Ten. I didn't take any offence that she only asked him. It was quite obvious that I wasn't okay.

"I'm always all right." He dismissed. Sensing that he wasn't going to say anymore, Mickey grabbed Rose's arm.

"Come on, Rose. It's time you showed me around the rest of this place." They were soon gone. We sat in silence for a moment,, listening to the TARDIS' humming before Ten broke it.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He asked. I didn't answer. How could I say that I forgot that my close friend was going to die? Everything had been going so well that it slipped my mind. He sighed. A moment later, his hand was held out in front of my face. I looked down and saw the four blue capsules that were my meds and a cup of water. Nodding in thanks, I grabbed it and took my meds for the first time in half a year. He then held out a hand again. I looked at him confused.

"I'll take you to your room. I figured since you were so new, you've not been yet." Nodding in thanks, I took his hand and he led me further into the ship. We stopped in front of a purple door. "Here we are." I looked at him for a moment before hugging him. He wrapped his arms around me tightly. We stood like that for a minute before I pulled away, gave him a watery smile, and then entered the room.

When I entered, a dim light came on illuminating the room in a warm yellow light. I walked straight to the bed and lied down, breaking into sobs. This went on for what felt like hours before my eyes ran dry. I turned and looked over at the package that I had placed next to me. Grabbing it, I ripped it open and spilled the contents out onto the bed. Out came a letter and a rolled up canvas sheet. I opened the letter first.

_My dearest Carli,_

_Even though I was older than you by quite a few years, I had come to consider you to be a very close and personal friend in the time we've known each other. Ever since I discovered you on the palace grounds, we've bonded in a way that words cannot describe. I do wish we had seen the stars together, but I fear it may be getting too late. I'm becoming quite weak now and feel as if I don't have much time left on this world. I am glad that I was able to see you one last time. You are currently with me as I write this letter. I have missed you dearly and am most grateful I was able to be with you before my time comes. With this letter, I have concealed a painting. It is a painting of you, Catherine, and I that day when we lounged on the grounds having a picnic. I had the painter paint two copies of it so that we may all have it to cherish. I will miss you terribly when you leave. I hope you do not grieve for me when I pass on. I do not wish for you to become a shell of yourself. Know that you will always hold a place in my heart as I hope you have done as well. Godspeed, Carli. Travel the stars and remember me._

_With Love,_  
 _Reinette_.

I placed the letter back onto the bed and unraveled the painting. I smiled sadly at the intricately pained image of the three of us under a tree laughing.I lied back down clutching the painting to my chest and fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

 

3rd POV:

The Doctor stood in front of the console for a minute before opening the letter.

" _My dear Doctor,_

_The path has never seemed more slow, and yet I fear I am nearing its end. Reason tells me that you and I are unlikely to meet again, but I think I shall not listen to reason. I have seen the world inside your head, and know that all things are possible. Hurry though, my love. My days grow shorter now, and I am so very weak._

_God speed, my lonely angel._

_Post scriptum. I thought you should know. When Carli is gone, we all forget about her, as if she never existed. But then as soon as we see her again, we remember. I hope it is nothing to worry about, but I felt the need to inform you of this situation._ "

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at that. It had been plaguing him since they first met. For the same happened with him. He looked and saw the fireplace was on the scanner. He flipped a switch and turned off the fire. He then set the TARDIS to enter the time vortex and went off the bed, drained from the events of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this one! Please comment! I love getting feedback of any form. It help me to know what I did that was good and what you feel needs improvement. Until next time!
> 
> -AvengersSummerHome


	4. Five Years of Latin Finally Come in Handy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just supposed to be another test. They knock me out, stick a tube in me to look around, and then I'm done. But no... Now I'm supposedly in some alternate dimension that houses one of my favorite shows. Fading from one place to the next, adventure after adventure, is really tiring! I just want my mom, my bed, and my phone so I can read fanfiction. Is that too much to ask? (Also posted on FF.net)

I woke up to a pounding in my head that felt like I was being stabbed behind the eyes. I rubbed my temples to try and alleviate the pain as I tried rolling over to fall back asleep but found it impossible to do so. Groaning, I sat up and blew away the hair in my face. Looking down, I found myself still in my gown from the Yew Tree ball.

No wonder I couldn't roll over. I thought. This wall of a dress won't let me. I slowly stood from the bed and stood in the center of the room, taking in my surroundings.

The room was small but cozy with purple walls. The bed appeared to double as a reading nook as it was in a narrow alcove between two closed doors. The tree walls surrounding the bed were covered in white christmas lights that gave the darkened corner a subtle glow. Beneath the lights were multitudes of pictures. I looked closer and saw that they were all me with different people or random moments in time captured on the polaroid film. There were so many that the covered the majority of the walls. Front and center though, right above the top end of the bed, was the painting from Reinette. I furrowed my brow, wondering how that got there when i distinctly remembered it being clutched in my arms when I fell asleep. Deciding to ignore it for now, I continued looking around the room.

The floors were covered in soft, fuzzy rugs and giant bean bag chairs. One wall of the room was covered in bookshelves that were filled with books. In the center of the room was a coffee table with a laptop and photo frame sitting on it. A decal of Iron Man stood proud over the Apple symbol. I walked over and picked up the frame only to almost drop it immediately. In the frame was a photo of my family. I hungrily looked over the image, finally seeing the faces of my parents, brother, aunt, uncles, cousins, and my baby "nephew". This was the first time seeing their faces in almost a year. Smiling sadly at the photo, I put it back on the table. As I went to look at the books, my dress hit the edge of the coffee table causing me to topple over and face plant onto the floor.

"God fucking dammit!" I grumbled, heaving myself up. Shower time. I decided, wanting nothing more than to get out of this dress.

I walked over to one of the doors by my alcove bed and opened it to find myself in a small, yet spacious bathroom. I walked in, stripping out of the dress. I glanced in the mirror over the sink and immediately shrieked. I looked like I clawed my way out of hell. My hair resembled a rat's nest, my makeup was smeared all over the place, my eyes were swollen, and i had hints of hives left over from my crying session.

"Christ on a boat..." I muttered, poking my face. Shuddering, I continued to strip and was soon standing under the hot spray of the shower.

* * *

 

I stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy towel about 45 minutes later. I stood under the water for a good half hour before actually washing anything. The pressure and heat was so nice. As I looked around the room, I didn't see a a dresser so I walked over to the other door by my bed, hoping it was a closet. Thankfully it was! Inside on a single hanger was a white and TARDIS blue stola. With it in a small bag was a blue and gold chord, a white hair piece, and gold colored sandals. (An: Link in profile). I quickly put it on and walked back into the bathroom to the mirror. Thanking my experience with hair and makeup in my school's drama department, I set to work on putting my hair in a Roman fashion. Once I was done, I left the bathroom and exited my room. Not sure exactly where to go, I turned right and began walking down the hall, hoping to find the console seemed to be on my side, though and I was soon standing on the grated floor of said room.

"Doctor?" I called out. "Rose? Mickey?" Silence answered back. I furrowed my brows in confusion. Maybe they're outside? I wondered. I quickly walked over to the doors and stepped outside. I was immediately surrounded by the sounds of people talking and animals making noises. Over the sounds, I was able to make out a distinct voice.

"Ancient Rome. Well, not for them, obviously. To all intents and purposes, right now, this is brand new Rome."

"Oh, my God. it's, it's so Roman. This is fantastic."

"Ha, ha."

Grinning, I threw aside the curtain in front of me and found Ten and Donna standing with their backs to me. I quickly ran up to Ten and jumped on his back. He shrieked in surprise and began flailing about. Donna, once seeing what was happening, began cackling at him. I finally let go of him and began laughing along with Donna. He spun around only to stop in surprise at seeing me.

"Carli!" He exclaimed, hugging me. He then stepped back looking me over. He frowned seeing my still slightly puffy eyes. "Where were you?" He asked, concerned.

"Versailles," I said. His eyes widened in understanding. He opened his mouth to say something else, but I cut him off, turning to Donna. "Donna!" I grabbed her into a hug. "I'm so excited to meet you!" She returned the hug before stepping back and looking at me bemused.

"But, we've already met?" I opened my mouth to explain but she cut me off. "Oh right! Time travel." She said. I nodded, grinning at her.

"Correctamundo! You're quick! Man, I'm glad to see you! You were always a favorite of mine," She blushed.

"String bean over there is glad to see you too. You should have heard him. 'Let's go to ancient Rome! Carli loves roman stuff! You remember Carli, right? She took five years of Latin! Maybe she'll show up?' God it was getting annoying!" Ten began sputtering, trying to say it wasn't true. I blushed awkwardly.

"Sorry if I'm annoying you..." I muttered. She slapped me upside the head.

"Oi. None of that. He's the annoying one not you. Now come on, let's look around!" Ten finally calmed down and grinned brightly at us.

"Right. Carli, Donna, welcome to ancient Rome," He said, making a sweeping motion with his arm. Donna began to look around in excitement again.

"I'm here, in Rome. Donna Noble in Rome. This is just weird. I mean, everyone here's dead." Ten looked at her incredulously.

"Well, don't tell them that." Donna suddenly frowned as she looked over his shoulder.

"Hold on a minute. That sign over there's in English." She said pointing. I followed her finger only to frown in confusion. It was in Latin, not English. "Are you having me on? Are we in Epcot?" She continued. He hurried to placate her.

"No, no, no, no. That's the Tardis translation circuits. Just makes it look like English. Speech as well. You're talking Latin right now." He said.

"Seriously?" She asked.

"Mmm."

"I just said seriously in Latin." She said, grinning.

"Oh, yeah." He confirmed, smiling.

"What if I said something in actual Latin, like veni, vidi, vici? My dad said that when he came back from football. If I said veni, vidi, vici to that lot, what would it sound like?" She pondered. Ten pursed his lips.

"I'm not sure. You have to think of difficult questions, don't you?" I nudged him in the ribs.

"Oh, like you don't love it," I said to him, rolling my eyes. He smiled in agreement.

"I'm going to try it." She stated.

"If you are," I started, stopping her. "At least do it correctly. The 'V's have a 'W' sound and the 'C's have a 'K' sound." She rolled her eyes in response.

"Yeah, whatever." She said dismissively. Ten then nudged me.

"You always need to correct things, don't you?" I raised my brow at him.

"What, and you don't?" He held up his hands in surrender and we both turned to watch Donna as she approached a fruit seller.

"Postmeridianum, deliciae. Quid tibi praebeam, mī amor?₁" He asked her. Donna took a deep breath and glanced back at us.

"Er, veni, vidi, vici." She said. The vender looked at her in confusion.

"Ignosce mihi? Mē non Celticē loquor. Non possum facere, puella!₂" He shouted slowly, trying to make her understand. Donna looked at him startled.

"Yeah." She stressed before walking back to us. "How's he mean, Celtic?" She looked at Ten in confusion.

"Welsh. You sound Welsh. There we are. Learnt something." He said, continuing to walk. I grabbed him and pulled him to a halt.

"Doctor, I cant hear English." I said, looking up at him. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Like, I'm hearing ancient Latin, not plain British sounding english."

"British?" He asked incredulously. I gave him an exasperated look.

"For some reason, the TARDIS translates other languages into British accented english. Now that I've said that, why can't I hear it?" I asked. He frowned in confusion before his eyes lit up in understanding.

"OH!" He shouted. I flinched away, startled. "Right, I know that! I just don't know why fully, yet. Here!" He plunged his hand into his coat pocket and after a minute of rummaging, he pulled out what looked like a hearing aid.

"What's that?" I asked as he started attaching it to my right ear.

"This, is a translator. Works like the TARDIS's translation circuit. Future you uses this on our adventures. Most of the time. And... there!" He stepped back. "Now tap it twice." I reached up and did exactly that. Suddenly, the random chatter of latin morphed into understandable (British) english. I beamed at him in response.

"Thank you!" I said, hugging him. He laughed and hugged me back. "OH!" Letting go, I looked up at him. "Do you have any Roman money?" He looked at me in confusion but reached into his pocket and eventually pulled out some coins. Grinning, I grabbed the money and walked to the vender. He smiled at me when he saw my approach.

"Hello, love. What can I get yah?" I looked at the fruits and pointed at the pears.

"Three please" I said. He nodded and grabbed three, putting them into a small woven bag. I handed over the money and smiled in thanks before heading back to Ten and Donna. I then pulled out a pear and began to eat it. Ten wrinkled his nose in disgust at me.

"What? I'm hungry! Plus, just because you don't like pears doesn't mean others feel the same, banana boy." I then walked ahead down the street, leaving Ten sputtering behind me and Donna laughing at the nickname, all the while feeling the eyes of the Amelia look-alike following us.

"They're waterproof too so you don't have to take them off and risk leaving them behind on accident." He finally added once he caught up, taking the conversation back to the hearing aid. We walked in silence before a thought occurred to me.

"Wait. You know why the TARDIS doesn't translate for me?" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Yeas, well... past for me, future for you. Something with Martha. You'll find out eventually." I frowned but nodded in understanding. This probably falls under the category of 'spoilers', as River would put it. Donna spoke up then.

"Don't our clothes look a bit odd?" She asked, gesturing between him and her.

"Nah. Ancient Rome, anything goes. It's like Soho, but bigger." Donna looked at him curiously.

"You've been here before then?"

"Mmm. Ages ago. Before you ask, that fire had nothing to do with me. Well, a little bit." I cut him off with a snort.

"Please, you were the person who gave Nero the idea in the first place. How are Ian and Barbra by the way? Do you ever visit them?" I asked him.

"Oh...shut up... and they're fine. Chatterton's the head of Coal Hill school now." I smacked him on the arm for the purposeful mispronunciation of the name.

"OW! Anyway...Yeah, I've been here before. But I haven't got the chance to look around properly. Coliseum, Pantheon, Circus Maximus. You'd expect them to be looming by now. Where is everything? Try this way." He took a left and led us into a large piazza. I looked around in awe of history passing right in front of me.

"Not an expert, but there's seven hills of Rome, aren't there? How come they've only got one?" Asked in confusion pointing up. I followed her finger and saw Vesuvius. Almost immediately, the ground began to shake violently.

"Here we go again." someone shouted as everyone went about trying to save their wares. I lost my balance and began falling. Before I could hit the ground, I was caught and placed upright. I turned to thank my savior only to find no one there. I scanned the piazza and saw a glimpse of a roman soldier with dirty blond hair and a rather large nose before they were gone.

'Was that...' I mentally wondered before Donna caught my attention.

"Wait a minute. One mountain, with smoke. Which makes this..." Donna started. Ten froze, eyes widening in horror.

"Pompeii. We're in Pompeii. And it's volcano day." He grabbed my hand and started sprinting back the way we came. Eventually, we reached where the TARDIS had been parked. He let go, allowing me to stop. I bent over, hands on my knees, as I tried to catch my breath. God I hate running. He threw back the curtain only to find the alcove empty.

"You're kidding. You're not telling me the Tardis has gone." Donna uttered in shock. I finally got my breathing back to normal and joined them.

"Okay." Ten uttered.

"Where is it then?" He looked over at her.

"You told me not to tell you." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Oi. Don't get clever in Latin." She snapped.

"Hold on." He then ran over to the fruit vender from earlier.

"Excuse me. Excuse me. There was a box. Big blue box. Big blue wooden box, just over there. Where's it gone?" Ten asked in a panic.

"Sold it, didn't I?" The vender said, rather proudly.

"But it wasn't yours to sell." Ten stated incredulously.

"It was on my patch, weren't it? I got fifteen sesterces for it. Lovely jubbly." He grinned happily.

"Who'd you sell it to?" The vender quickly got annoyed.

"Old Caecilius. Look, if you want to argue, why don't you take it out with him? He's on Foss Street. Big villa. Can't miss it." He replied, pointing off in a direction.

"Thanks." Ten said and started off in that direction before stopping and coming back.

"What'd he buy a big blue wooden box for?" He wondered.

"Modern art" I replied smirking. He looked at me in frustration.

"Come on." He said, grabbing my hand. "Donna, you go that way and look for the house!" He ran off without waiting for a reply, dragging me with him.

* * *

 

Once we found the house, we ran back to find Donna only to end up running into her.

"Ha. I've got it. Foss Street's this way." He said to her, turning to start running back. Donna pulled him to a stop.

"No. Well, I found this big sort of amphitheater thing. We can start there. We can gather everyone together. Maybe they've got a great big bell or something we could ring. Have they invented bells yet?" I looked at her sadly.

"What do you want a bell for?" Ten asked.

"To warn everyone. Start the evacuation. What time does Vesuvius erupt? When's it due?" Ten's face morphed into one of understanding. His eyes began to darken.

"It's 79AD, twenty third of August, which makes volcano day tomorrow." Donna continued on, not noticing Ten's change in demeanor. I grabbed his and and squeezed.

"Plenty of time. We could get everyone out easy."

"Yeah, except we're not going to." He stated. Donna looked at him in exasperation and confusion.

"But that's what you do. You're the Doctor. You save people." Ten shook his head.

"Not this time. Pompeii is a fixed point in history. What happens, happens. There is no stopping it." He tried to explain.

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"What, and you're in charge?" She said sarcastically.

"Tardis, Time Lord, yeah." He claimed.

"Donna, human, no. I don't need your permission. I'll tell them myself." She started to turn and walk off.

"You stand in the market place announcing the end of the world, they'll just think you're a mad old soothsayer. Now, come on. Tardis. We are getting out of here." He said grabbing her.

"Well, I might just have something to say about that, Spaceman." She sassed.

"Oh, I bet you will." He shouted back, already running ahead. Donna turned to me.

"You'll help me, right? He'll listen to you. He can't deny you anything." I looked at her questioningly before answering her.

"As much as I want to, we can't." I held up my hand to stop what she was going to say. "This is one of the most well known events in history. This is also the sight of one of the most well preserved ancient roman city ever partially excavated. If we do anything to stop this, the history of the world as you know it will change forever. It will create a paradox, and, trust me, you don't want to meet what shows up to fix them." I then turned to follow Ten to Caecilius' house. Donna huffed, but followed me.

Eventually, we got to the house right as another earthquake began.

"Positions!" We heard from inside. We rush in to find Ten holding a marble bust that had fallen off a shelf.

"Whoa! There you go." He said, placing it back in it's rightful place.

"Thank you, kind sir. I'm afraid business is closed for the day. I'm expecting a visitor." Caecilius said.

"But that's me, I'm a visitor. Hello." He replied, waving.

"Who are you?"

"I am Spartacus." I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose in exasperation.

"And so am I." Donna claimed. I sighed and looked up to find Caecilius looking at me questioningly.

"My apologies. I am Cornelia, daughter of Cornelius and Aurelia. I am honored to be in your home." I smiled at the family. Caecilius nodded and looked between the three of us.

"Mister and Mrs Spartacus?" He asked, pointing at Ten and Donna. I laughed quietly behind my hand.

"Oh no, no, no. We're not, we're not married." Ten quickly protested.

"We're not together." Donna agreed. Caecilius nodded in understanding.

"Oh, then brother and sister? Yes, of course. You look very much alike."

"Really?" They asked, looking at one another in confusion.

"Yes, it makes sense. You must be married to Cornelia." He nodded in finality. I blushed and went to correct him only to be interrupted as he continued. "Anyways, I'm sorry, but I'm not open for trade."

"And that trade would be?" Ten asked, his cheeks a light pink.

"Marble. Lopus Caecilius. Mining, polishing and design thereof. If you want marble, I'm your man." He stated proudly.

"That's good. That's good, because I'm the marble inspector." Ten said whipping out his psychic paper. The roman's eyes widened in shock.

"By the gods of commerce, an inspection. I'm sorry, sir. I do apologize for my son." Caecilius' wife said, taking her son's wine and dumping it into the pool of water behind him.

"Oi." The boy complained.

"And this is my good wife, Metella. I must confess, we're not prepared for a..." Caecilius said quickly.

"Nothing to worry about. I'm, I'm sure you've nothing to hide. Although, frankly, that object looks rather like wood to me." Ten said, running over to the TARDIS.

"I told you to get rid of it." Metella hissed at her husband.

"I only bought it today." He claimed in confusion.

"Ah, well. Caveat emptor." Ten replied.

"Oh, you're Celtic. There's lovely." Caecilius muttered.

"I'm sure it's fine, but I might have to take it off your hands for a proper inspection." He claimed.

"Although while we're here, wouldn't you recommend a holiday, Spartacus?" Donna said slyly.

"Don't know what you mean, Spartacus." Ten replied, gritting his teeth.

"Oh, this lovely family. Mother and father and son. Don't you think they should get out of town?" She said sweetly, glaring at him.

"Why should we do that?" Caecilius frowned.

"Well, the volcano, for starters." Donna stated obviously.

"What?"

"Volcano." She tried again.

"What ano?"

"That great big volcano right on your doorstep." She explained again. Ten quickly cut her off.

"Oh, Spartacus, Cornelia, for shame. We haven't even greeted the household gods yet." He quickly steered her towards the shrine with me following behind.

"They don't know what it is. Vesuvius is just a mountain to them. The top hasn't blown off yet. The Romans haven't even got a word for volcano. Not until tomorrow." He whispered angrily.

"Oh, great, they can learn a new word as they die." She snapped.

"Donna, stop it." He warned.

"Listen, I don't know what sort of kids you've been flying round with in outer space, but you're not telling me to shut up. That boy, how old is he, sixteen? And tomorrow he burns to death." Donna said pointing towards the boy who was still upset over losing his wine.

"And that's my fault?" Ten asked her. She narrowed her eyes.

"Right now, yes." I decided to step in.

"Donna, look at me," She turned her glare towards me. "I know where you're coming from. Believe me, I do. If I could, I would do anything to save countless of people from disasters, natural or not. The Doctor is the same way. The problem is, if he does, it changes everything. Think about it. If the Titanic hadn't sank that night in 1912, they would believe that lifeboats are no longer necessary and, instead of some being saved, none would. Changing important events like this have dire consequences. Especially if it's an incredibly well known event. This happens to be one of those times. As much as he wants to, he can't without risking fracturing time itself." I said firmly in a hushed whisper. She pursed her lips and went to reply when a servant came in.

"Announcing Lucius Petrus Dextrus, Chief Augur of the City Government." As a man wearing a cloak over right side of his body walked in pompously, Donna gave me a look that promised this wasn't over. Ten also nodded his head at me in thanks. I smiled in return.

"Lucius. My pleasure, as always." Caecilius claimed, approaching the man.

"Quintus, stand up." Metella hissed, grabbing her son's arm.

"A rare and great honor, sir, for you to come to my house." Caecilius continued. He held out his hand but was met with a blank stare.

"The birds are flying north, and the wind is in the west." He said instead.

"Quite. Absolutely. That's good, is it?" Caecilius said, unsure.

"Only the grain of wheat knows where it will grow." Lucius said in reply.

"There now, Metella. Have you ever heard such wisdom?" Caecilius praised, motioning to his wife. She smiled sweetly.

"Never. It's an honor." She exclaimed.

"Pardon me, sir. I have guests. This is Spartacus and, er, Spartacus. Oh, and his wife, Cornelia, daughter of Cornelius." He said, gesturing towards us. I tried again to correct him, but Lucius spoke again, cutting me off.

"A name is but a cloud upon a summer wind." Lucius replied flippantly.

"But the wind is felt most keenly in the dark." Ten replied with a raised brow. Lucius looked startled for a quick moment before he composed his features and replied back.

"Ah. But what is the dark, other than an omen of the sun?"

"I concede that every sun must set." Ten started. Lucius smiled smugly.

"Ha." He said.

"And yet the son of the father must also rise." Ten finished, gesturing to Caecilius and Quintus. Lucius narrowed his eyes, exhaling sharply in annoyance.

"Damn. Very clever, sir. Evidently, a man of learning." He said bitterly.

"Oh, yes. But don't mind me. Don't want to disturb the status quo." Ten replied. At Lucius' look, Caecilius spoke up.

"He's Celtic." He whispered.

"We'll be off in a minute." Ten continued. Donna whirled on him.

"I'm not going." She stated.

"It's ready, sir." Caecilius said to Lucius, ignoring us.

"You've got to." Ten hissed out.

"Well, I'm not." Donna stubbornly replied. Ten grabbed her arm and began to lead her towards the TARDIS, only to stop at Caecilius' words.

"The moment of revelation. And here it is." He pulled off a cloth that had been covering a stone tile carved into what resembled a circuit board.

"Exactly as you specified. It pleases you, sir?" Caecilius asked.

"As the rain pleases the soil." Lucius stated, studying the carving. Ten let go of Donna and walked over to the stone tile.

"Oh, now that's different. Who designed that, then?" He asked. Caecilius motioned towards the augur.

"My Lord Lucius was very specific." Ten raised his eyebrows, frowning.

"Where'd you get the pattern?" He wondered.

"On the rain and mist and wind." He replied vaguely.

"But that looks like a circuit." Donna said, incredulously.

"Made of stone." Ten affirmed. Donna looked towards Lucius curiously.

"Do you mean you just dreamt that thing up?"

"That is my job, as City Augur." He stated. Donna looked at us confused.

"What's that, then, like the mayor?" She asked.

"Oh, ha. You must excuse my friend, she's from Barcelona. No, but this is an age of superstition. Of official superstition. The Augur is paid by the city to tell the future. The wind will blow from the west? That's the equivalent of ten o'clock news." He explained. Just then, Evelina, pale and swaying, came into the room.

"They're laughing at us. Those two, they use words like tricksters. They're mocking us." She said, bringing attention to her.

"No, no, I'm not. I meant no offense." Ten said, trying to placate her. Metella rushed over to her daughter and held onto her upped arms.

"I'm sorry. My daughter's been consuming the vapors." She explained. Quintus looked on in horror.

"Oh for gods, Mother. What have you been doing to her?" He exclaimed, worried. Metella ignored him.

"Not now, Quintus." Caecilius hissed.

"Yeah, but she's sick. Just look at her." He exclaimed, upset.

"I gather I have a rival in this household. Another with the gift." Lucius interrupted. Metella looked up proudly.

"Oh, she's been promised to the Sibylline Sisterhood. They say she has remarkable visions." She said, petting Evelina's hair. Lucius scoffed slightly.

"The prophecies of women are limited and dull. Only the menfolk have the capacity for true perception." He stated pompously. I proceeded to pretend to apply lipstick with my middle finger looking straight at him.

"I'll tell you where the wind's blowing right now, mate." Donna exclaimed, insulted. Coincidentally, a small tremor occurred immediately after she said that. Lucius glared at her.

"The Mountain God marks your words. I'd be careful, if I were you." He warned. Ten turned the conversation back to Evelina.

"Consuming the vapors, you say?" He asked, looking her over.

"They give me strength." She replied weakly. Ten raised his eyebrows in concern.

"It doesn't look like it to me." He said.

"Is that your opinion as a doctor?" He froze, eyes widening.

"I beg your pardon?" He uttered out in shock.

"Doctor. That's your name." She replied back.

"How did you know that?" She didn't answer, instead turning her attention to Donna.

"And you. You call yourself Noble." She said, eyes lidded. Her head snapped towards me.

"You don't exist. Not for thousands of winters. And even then, you're wrong." She uttered out, sweat dripping down her head. My eyes widened in confusion. Metella turned to her daughter.

"Now then, Evelina. Don't be rude." She simpered.

"No, no, no, no. Let her talk." Ten interrupted.

"You three come from so far away." She uttered, tears pooling in her eyes from the strain she was under.

"The female soothsayer is inclined to invent all sorts of vagaries." Lucius stated, glaring at the girl. Ten raised his brow at him.

"Oh, not this time, Lucius. No, I reckon you've been out-soothsayed." He replied. Lucius slowly turned his head and looked at him.

"Is that so, man from Gallifrey?" The mountain rumbled at these words.

"What?"

"The strangest of images. Your home is lost in fire, is it not?" He asked. He looked at me.

"And you, daughter of a republic, from the land named for a Virgin. So very far away." He stated. My eyes widened, impressed he'd know that.

"Doctor, what are they doing?" Donna asked, slightly scared. Lucius turned to look at her.

"And you, daughter of...London." He stated.

"How does he know that?" She asked, startled.

"This is the gift of Pompeii. Every single oracle tells the truth." He stated. Donna shook her head in disbelief.

"That's impossible."

"Doctor, she is returning." Lucius stated, the ground rumbling with his words.

"Who is? Who's she?" He asked, eyes wide beneath his furrowed brows. Lucius ignored him and looked at Donna.

"And you, daughter of London. There is something on your back." He said ominously. Donna looked towards Ten, touching her shoulder in concern.

"What's that mean?" She uttered out. He suddenly looked at me.

"You, your permanence in not yet concrete. There is a master lording over you're fate, and when the universe ripples in the pond, your existence will end with a bang." He spat. I paled in fear.

"What?" I muttered in fear. Ten grabbed my hand tight.

"Even the word Doctor is false. Your real name is hidden. It burns in the stars, in the Cascade of Medusa herself. You are a Lord, sir. A Lord of Time." Evelina finished, collapsing to the ground as she fainted.

"Evelina!" Metella shouted. She rushed over and knelt by Ten who also rushed to her aid. Donna made to follow but I stood stock still.

"I'm... I'm going to die?" I whimpered out. Ten looked up sharply and stood to his feet. In seconds he had his arms around me.

"No. I won't allow it to happen." He said reassuringly. I nodded slowly and smiled weakly up at him. Stepping back, I followed Donna and Metella to Evelina's room, not hearing what he said next.

"Not again."

* * *

 

(AN. I was so tempted to end it here, but I hate cliff hangers, so here you go!)

"She didn't mean to be rude. She's ever such a good girl. But when the gods speak through her..." Metella trailed off. We were seated around Evelina's bed, keeping her cool with damp cloths. Donna looked curiously down at the yellow wrap on her arm.

"What's wrong with her arm?" She asked. Metella began to unwrap it in preparation to treat it.

"An irritation of the skin. She never complains, bless her. We bathe it in olive oil every night." She explained. The stone patch caused Donna to get closer.

"What is it?" She wondered. Metella looked between the two of us and a look of desperation entered her eyes.

"Evelina said you'd come from far away. Please, have you ever seen anything like it?" She asked. Donna reached out a felt the skin, only to flinch in shock.

"It's stone." She whispered. Metella looked at her, startled. I quickly caught her attention.

"Hey, don't worry. I promise, you're daughter will be fine. Her arm will be back to normal in no time. For now, keep her from consuming the vapors." Metella nodded absently, staring in concern at her daughter.

A while later, Evelina woke up and appeared to back to normal. Metella left to have a servant bring up some dinner for her. Currently, we were laughing as Donna posed in a purple robe and shawl.

"You're not supposed to laugh. Thanks for that. What do you think? The Goddess Venus." She struck a ridiculous pose that caused more peals of laughter.

"Oh, that's sacrilege." Evelina gasped, giggling. Donna smiled warmly at her, sitting down on the bed beside us.

"Nice to see you laugh, though. What do you do in old Pompeii, then, girls your age? You got mates? Do you go hanging about round the shops? TK Maximus?" She teased, but was genuinely curious. Evelina shook her head, smiling.

"I am promised to the Sisterhood for the rest of my life." She replied.

"Do you get any choice in that?" Donna asked, slightly concerned.

"It's not my decision. The Sisters chose for me. I have the gift of sight." Evelina responded easily, as though this fact did not bother her.

"Then what can you see happening tomorrow?" Donna asked, serious. I motioned for her to stop, but she waved me off.

"Is tomorrow special?" Evelina asked curiously.

"You tell me. What do you see?" Her smile dropped at the ominous tone. She then closed her eyes.

"The sun will rise, the sun will set. Nothing special at all." She replied, dismissively, opening her eyes.

"Look, don't tell the Doctor I said anything because he'll kill me, but I've got a prophecy too." Donna replied. Evelina immediately covered her eyes with her hands, contacting the sisters of the Sibylline.

"Donna!" I warned. She ignored me though.

"Evelina, I'm sorry, but you've got to hear me out." She continued. When Evelina didn't reply, she tried again. "Evelina, can you hear me? Listen."

"There is only one prophecy." Evelina said, panicked.

"But everything I'm about to say to you is true, I swear. Just listen to me. Tomorrow, that mountain is going to explode. Evelina, please listen. The air is going to fill with ash and rocks, tons and tons of it, and this whole town is going to get buried." Donna stated. I groaned angrily.

"That's not true." Evelina cried out.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, but everyone's going to die." Donna said sadly. "Even if you don't believe me, just tell your family to get out of town. Just for one day. Just for tomorrow. But you've got to get out. You've got to leave Pompeii."

"This is false prophecy." Evelina exclaimed, ripping her hands from her face and glaring at Donna in fear.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling, almost like giant footsteps sounded. We looked at one another and then ran into the atrium.

"What is it? What's that noise?" Metella asked fearfully.

"Doesn't sound like Vesuvius." Caecilius wondered, looking about. Just then, Ten rushed in.

"Caecilius? All of you, get out." He shouted out. He ran up to Donna and grabbed her by the arms.

"Doctor, what is it?" She asked. He looked at her wide eyed.

"I think we're being followed." Immediately following these words, the hypocaust grill flew off, barely missing me. I jumped out of the way, falling against the pool in the room.

"Just get out!" He shouted again. As usual, he was ignored. The room's occupants stood in shock as the floor around the hypocaust cracked. From underground, a Pyrovile rose up and filled the room floor to ceiling.

"The gods are with us." Evelina whispered in awe. Ten sprung into action.

"Water. We need water. Quintus. All of you, get water. Donna!" Donna, Quintus, and some servants ran out the door in order to get water. Meanwhile, one servant approached the creature, arms out wide.

"Blessed are we to see the gods." He praised reverently. In response, it breathed fire on him, turning him to ash in seconds. The family cried out in fear. Ten rushed forward as I stood protectively in front of the three Pompeiians.

"Talk to me. That's all I want. Talk to me. Just tell me you are. Don't hurt these people." He shouted out. I heard a clatter and turned to see Donna being dragged off by figures in red. I glanced at Evelina.

"Talk to me. I'm the Doctor. Just tell me who you are." Ten shouted out. Just then, Quintus returned with the servants and, upon scooping water from the pool, threw it onto the creature. It roared in pain before burning out. The now dead rock cracked and crumbled to the ground.

"What was it?" Caecilius uttered out in horror.

"Carapace of stone, held together by internal magma. Not too difficult to stop, but I reckon that's just the foot soldier." He explained quickly. Metella glared at him.

"Doctor, or whatever your name is, you bring bad luck on this house." She spat. He turned and glared back.

"I thought your son was brilliant. Aren't you going to thank him?" She froze before turning to worry over her son. Ten turned to me in worry, but I nodded my head, telling him I was ok. He then continued on. "Still, if there are aliens at work in Pompeii, it's a good thing we stayed. Donna? Donna? Donna!"

He spun about in a panic, trying to find the redhead.

"Doctor!" He spun to look at me. "She was taken to the Sibylline temple." I explained. "They've accused her of false prophecy." He groaned out in exasperation.

"C'mon!" He grabbed my hand and sprinted off in the direction of the temple.

* * *

 

We screeched to a stop outside the front doors of the temple. As I struggled to catch my breath, Ten opened the front doors. From inside we could hear Donna and the sisters talking.

"The false prophet will surrender both her blood and her breath."

"I'll surrender you in a minute. Don't you dare." We smirked at each other. She's fine.

"You will be silent!" We slowly began to creep into the temple.

"Listen, sister, you might have eyes on the back of your hands, but you'll have eyes in the back of your head by the time I've finished with you. Let me go!" We could see Donna struggling on the altar. The sister above her lifted a knife above her head in preparation to stab downward.

"This prattling voice will cease forever." Ten quickly moved into action.

"Oh, that'll be the day." The sisters gasped and spun around to face us.

"No man is allowed to enter the Temple of Sibyl." Sister Spurrina shouted angrily.

"Well, that's all right. Just us girls." He said shrugging. I snorted and followed him. He grinned at me before continuing. "Do you know, I met the Sibyl once. Yeah, hell of a woman. Blimey, she could dance the Tarantella. Nice teeth. Truth be told, I think she had a bit of a thing for me. I said it would never last. She said, I know. Well, she would. You all right there?" He looked towards Donna.

"Oh, never better." She said sarcastically.

"I like the toga."

"Thank you. And the ropes?" She asked casually, wiggling her tied hands.

"Yeah, not so much." He replied, pulling out his Sonic. Pressing the button, the ropes cut away freeing Donna. She immediately sat up, rubbing her wrists.

"How're you? They didn't hurt you at all?" I asked, helping her down.

"Nah, I'm fine. One thing though, one of these weirdos has a similar face to a girl in one of your photos in your room. Do you know her?" She asked. I looked at her in confusion before remembering there was a sister played by Karen Gillan.

"Uh..." I started, not sure what to say. Ten, thankfully, saved me from having to say anything.

"Let me tell you about the Sibyl, the founder of this religion. She would be ashamed of you. All her wisdom and insight turned sour. Is that how you spread the word, hey? On the blade of a knife?" He asked scornfully. Some of the sisters looked at the ground in shame. Others, however, glared in defiance.

"Yes, a knife that now welcomes you." Spurrina exclaimed, lifting the knife again. I gave her a funny look.

"You're really knife happy, aren't you?" I asked rhetorically. She glared and opened her mouth to respond.

"Show me this man." A raspy voice called out. Spurrina dropped her arms immediately and spun about to face the sheer curtains on the far side of the room.

"High Priestess, the stranger would defile us." She claimed.

"Let me see. This one is different. He carries starlight in his wake." The high priestess rasped. Ten's eyebrows shot up and he moved forward.

"Oh, very perceptive. Where do these words of wisdom come from?" He asked.

"The gods whisper to me." Was the reply. Ten frowned.

"They've done far more than that. Might I beg audience? Look upon the High Priestess?" Two of the sisters came forth and pulled aside the curtains, revealing the stone priestess. Donna gasped.

"Oh, my God. What's happened to you?" She asked.

"The heavens have blessed me." The high priestess responded with reverence.

"If I might?" Ten asked, reaching out. She lifted her hand for him to examine.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, concerned.

"It is necessary." She answered.

"Who told you that?"

"The voices." She whispered.

"Is that what's going to happen to Evelina? Is this what's going to happen to all of you?" Donna yelled out in shock and horror. Spurrina came forward and revealed her own arm.

"The blessings are manifold." She praised. Donna frowned.

"They're stone." She said aloud.

"Exactly. The people of Pompeii are turning to stone before the volcano erupts. But why?" Ten asked, coming back towards Donna and I.

"This word, this image in your mind. This volcano. What is that?" The high priestess asked.

"More to the point, why don't you know about it? Who are you?" He asked in return.

"High Priestess of the Sibylline." She said indignantly. Ten shook his head.

"No, no, no, no. I'm talking to the creature inside you. The thing that's seeding itself into a human body, in the dust, in the lungs, taking over the flesh and turning it into, what?" He pressed on.

"Your knowledge is impossible." She said in shock.

"Oh, but you can read my mind. You know it's not. I demand you tell me who you are." He shouted.

"We are awakening." She then shouted out, multiple deep voices coming through. Spurrina shouted out behind us as all the sisters began rocking back and forth.

"The voice of the gods."

"Words of wisdom, words of power. Words of wisdom, words of power. Words of wisdom"

"Name yourself. Planet of origin. Galactic coordinates. Species designation according to the universal ratification of the Shadow Proclamation." Ten tried again over the chanting.

"We are rising."

"Tell me your name!" He yelled out.

"Pyrovile!"

"Pyrovile. Pyrovile. Pyrovile." The sisters chanted.

"What's a Pyrovile?" Donna asked in confusion.

"Well, that's a Pyrovile, growing inside her. She's a halfway stage." Donna looked between the priestess and Ten.

"What, and that turns into?" She stressed.

"That thing in the villa. That was an adult Pyrovile." He explained.

"And the breath of a Pyrovile will incinerate you, Doctor." The creature interrupted. Ten proceeded to take out a water pistol.

"I warn you, I'm armed. Donna, Carli, get that grill open." He threatened, pointing the pistol at the creature. I nodded and ran over. Donna hesitated.

"What for?" She wondered.

"Just. What are the Pyrovile doing here?" He asked the Pyrovile. Donna finally came over to help me remove the grating.

"Thanks," I panted. "Damn, this is fucking heavy." I muttered. Donna laughed and began pulling.

"We fell from the heavens. We fell so far and so fast, we were rendered into dust." The creature answered the Doctor. He nodded in understanding.

"Right, creatures of stone shattered on impact. When was that, seventeen years ago?" He clarified.

"We have slept beneath for thousands of years." It corrected.

"Okay, so seventeen years ago woke you up, and now you're using human bodies to reconstitute yourselves. But why the psychic powers?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"We opened their minds and found such gifts." It answered.

"Okay, that's fine. So you force yourself inside a human brain, use the latent psychic talent to bond. I get that, I get that, yeah. But seeing the future? That is way beyond psychic. You can see through time. Where does the gift of prophecy come from?" He asked, getting frustrated at his lack of understanding. At that moment, Donna and I finally managed to pull the grate away.

"Got it!" Donna called out.

"Now get down." He shouted back. Donna looked at him, incredulous.

"What, down there?" She snapped. He sighed in exasperation.

"Yes, down there. Why can't this lot predict a volcano? Why is it being hidden?" He turned his attention back to the Pyrovile. Donna looked at me. I nodded. Groaning, she began to lower herself into the hypocaust.

"Sisters, I see into his mind. The weapon is harmless." Spurrina suddenly cried out.

"Yeah, but it's got to sting." Ten conceded, shooting water at the Pyrovile. It began to shriek and roar in agony. He quickly ran over and shoved my towards the open vent.

"Get down there!" He shouted. I quickly jumped down and he followed after.

"You fought her off with a water pistol. I bloody love you." Donna exclaimed. I laughed aloud.

"This way." Ten said, crawling down the tunnel. Donna looked after him.

"Where are we going now?" She asked.

"Into the volcano." He responded casually. Donna's eyes widened.

"No way."

"Yes, way. Appian way." He added, grinning at me. I groaned, rolling my eyes.

"Ugh, why with the puns?" I grumbled. He laughed.

"Ah you love it." He replied, continuing on down the tunnel. I blushed.

"But if it's aliens setting off the volcano, doesn't that make it all right for you to stop it?" Donna asked, bringing up the argument from earlier.

"Still part of history." He sighed.

"But I'm history to you. You saved me in 2008. You saved us all. Why is that different?" She wondered. I'll give her that. For someone who doesn't know about fixed points, its a valid question.

"Some things are fixed, some things are in flux. Pompeii is fixed." He quickly explained.

"How do you know which is which?" She wondered.

"Because that's how I see the universe. Every waking second, I can see what is, what was, what could be, what must not. That's the burden of a Time Lord, Donna. And I'm the only one left." He said sadly, eyes dark. I held his hand, offering comfort. He squeezed it in response.

"How many people died?" She asked suddenly. We both tensed.

"Stop it."

"Doctor, how many people died?" She pressed on.

"Twenty thousand." He finally said.

"Is that what you can see, Doctor? All twenty thousand? And you think that's all right, do you?" I whirled around in anger at Donna.

"Oh stop it. You know he doesn't think that's alright. Only psychopaths think like that. He may be a mad man in a blue box, but he's no psychopath. Believe me. Do you know who many people were lost on Gallifrey when he ended the war? Let me give you a number. 2.47 billion. And that was just children. Children, Donna. It fucking killed him to do it, but it had to be done or else the fate of the universe was at stake. If Pompeii doesn't get buried in ash from Vesuvius, then the entire future will change. Hell, you might not even be born in that case. So don't you dare think for a second that the Doctor finds sacrificing all of these lives alright. He blames himself for every single life lost so don't you dare!" I whisper yelled at her. She looked taken aback and ashamed of her words. She opened her mouth to apologize but was interrupted by a loud roar from a Pyrovile.

"They know we're here. Come on." Ten said quietly, moving further down the tunnel. We finally arrived in a large cavern filled with Pyrovile. We quickly hid behind a large rock.

"It's the heart of Vesuvius. We're right inside the mountain." He said, looking around.

"There's tons of them." Donna whispered looking around in fear.

"What's that thing?" He wondered, looking at a distant construct.

"Oh, you better hurry up and think of something. Rocky fall's on its way." Donna whispered anxiously, looking behind us.

"That's how they arrived. Or what's left of it. Escape pod? Prison ship? Gene bank?" He wondered, ignoring Donna.

"But why do they need a volcano? Maybe it erupts, and they launch themselves back into space or something?" She speculated.

"Oh, it's worse than that." He replied darkly.

"How could it be worse? Doctor, it's getting closer." She looked at him in worry.

"Heathens defile us. They would desecrate your temple, my lord gods." We looked up to see Lucius glaring down at us from a ledge.

"Come on." Ten yelled, leaping to his feet.

"We can't go in." Donna exclaimed in protest.

"Well, we can't go back." He retaliated.

"Oh come on!" I grabbed their hands and began to run to the escape pod.

"Crush them. Burn them." Lucius yelled out.

"OH SHUT UP!" I called back. A Pyrovile reared up in front of us, only to be extinguished by the water pistol. We finally ran into the escape pod.

"There is nowhere to run, Doctor, Protector, and daughter of London." Lucius called out to us. I made a weird face. Protector? Why'd he call me that?

"Now then, Lucius. My lords Pyrovillian, don't get yourselves in a lather. In a lava? No? No. But if I might beg the wisdom of the gods before we perish. Once this new race of creatures is complete, then what?" Ten asked, looking for the plan.

"My masters will follow the example of Rome itself. An almighty empire, bestriding the whole of civilization." Lucius answered.

"But if you've crashed, and you've got all this technology, why don't you just go home?" Donna wondered.

"The Heaven of Pyrovillia is gone." He replied. Ten frowned at the answer.

"What do you mean, gone? Where's it gone?" He asked.

"It was taken. Pyrovillia is lost. But there is heat enough in this world for a new species to rise." He exclaimed proudly.

"Yeah, I should warn you, it's seventy percent water out there." Ten informed him.

"Water can boil. And everything will burn, Doctor."

"Then the whole planet is at stake. Thank you. That's all I needed to know. Donna." They backed into the pod and once inside, Ten closed the door with his screwdriver.

"Could we be any more trapped?" Donna asked sarcastically. The temperature in the pod began rising exponentially. "Little bit hot."

"See? The energy converter takes the lava, uses the power to create a fusion matrix, which welds Pyrovile to human. Now it's complete, they can convert millions." Ten exclaimed as he looked over the controls. Donna leaned over and looked at him.

"But can't you change it with these controls?" She asked. He sighed.

"Of course I can, but don't you see? That's why the soothsayers can't see the volcano. There is no volcano. Vesuvius is never going to erupt. The Pyrovile are stealing all its power. They're going to use it to take over the world." He explained sadly. I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"But you can change it back?" She asked again.

"I can invert the system, set off the volcano, and blow them up, yes. But, that's the choice, Donna. It's Pompeii or the world." He said quietly. Donna's jaw dropped in horror.

"Oh, my God." She gasped. Ten looked off into space, a dark look in his eye.

"If Pompeii is destroyed then it's not just history, it's me. I make it happen." He said.

"Doctor, the Pyrovile are made of rocks. Maybe they can't be blown up." She worried. He shook her off.

"Vesuvius explodes with the force of twenty four nuclear bombs. Nothing can survive it. Certainly not us." He replied. Donna waved her hand dismissively.

"Never mind us."

"Push this lever and it's over. Twenty thousand people." He said, nodding at a rectangular lever on the control panel. He placed his hand on it. Seconds after, Donna put her hand on it, me following shortly after. We look at each other and, as one, push it down. Immediately we were thrown about as the pod was launched into the air. It finally settles after a minute or so. Ten quickly opened the door and we piled out. He looked around in surprise.

"It was an escape pod." He stated.

"Doctor!" I called out, looking behind us at the mountain. He took one look at the avalanche of ash rolling towards us and broke out into a run, leading us back into the city. Even though it was morning, the sky was dark as the ash blocked out the sun. Donna began yelling at the terrified citizens, trying to save them.

"Don't. Don't go to the beach. Don't go to the beach, go to the hills. Listen to me. Don't go to the beach, it's not safe. Listen to me." She looked over and saw a little boy crying on the ground.

"Come here." She went to pick him up only to find a woman in front of her.

"Give him to me." With that, she picked up her son and ran off. Ten grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

"Come on." We quickly headed back towards Caecilius' villa and ran to the TARDIS. In the corner cowering in fear was the family.

"Gods save us, Doctor!" Caecilius shouted in terror. Ten looked at him before walking into the TARDIS. He quickly began putting in coordinates to get out of Pompeii.

"No! Doctor, you can't. Doctor!" Donna yelled, running in after him. I turned to the family before entering.

"We'll save you, don't worry." I smiled and then entered the blue box, closing the doors behind me. The TARDIS quickly dematerialized.

"You can't just leave them!" Donna shouted angrily. Ten glared back.

"Don't you think I've done enough? History's back in place and everyone dies." He hissed out.

"You've got to go back. Doctor, I am telling you, take this thing back. It's not fair." She exclaimed.

"No, it's not." He agreed. Donna looked at him sadly.

"But your own planet. It burned." She stated. He dropped his head before looking up at her.

"That's just it. Don't you see, Donna? Can't you understand? If I could go back and save them, then I would. But I can't. I can never go back. I can't. I just can't, I can't." He exclaimed.

"Just someone. Please. Not the whole town. Just save someone." He looked up and stared at her for a moment. He then turned to me.

"This is an important point in your life, Doctor. This will define you later on." I said encouragingly. He nodded and sent the TARDIS back to the villa. He ran over to the doors and threw them open, holding out a hand to the terrified family.

"Come with me."

* * *

 

Up on a hill far enough away, we stood and watched the once great city get buried.

"It's never forgotten, Caecilius. Oh, time will pass, men'll move on, and stories will fade. But one day, Pompeii will be found again. In thousands of years. And everyone will remember you." Ten said. Donna turned to Evelina.

"What about you, Evelina? Can you see anything?" She asked sadly. Evelina looked at her with tears in her eyes.

"The visions have gone." She replied.

"The explosion was so powerful it cracked open a rift in time, just for a second. That's what gave you the gift of prophecy. It echoed back into the Pyrovillian alternative. But not any more. You're free." Ten explained. Metella turned to him.

"But tell me. Who are you, Doctor? With your words, and your temple containing such size within?" Se wondered looking at him and the TARDIS.

"Oh, I was never here. Don't tell anyone." He said conspiratorially.

"The great god Vulcan must be enraged. It's so volcanic. It's like some sort of volcano. All those people." He said, heartbroken.

As they stood looking down at their old home, we moved back into the TARDIS and dematerialized.

"Thank you." Donna whispered.

"Yeah. You were right. Sometimes I need someone. Welcome aboard." He replied, smiling slightly.

"Yeah." She smiled.

A few hours later, I was sitting on the captains chair reading Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them while Ten worked on the console repairing things. Donna had gone off to shower, claiming that she smelled like Nerys after she curled her hair.

"Why did the ash cover the city so quickly?" I asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" Ten asked, looking up. I put the book down and looked at him.

"It took three days for Pompeii to be buried. Why did it happen so quick?" I asked him again. He looked at the grating thoughtfully.

"Maybe it's a matter of universal differences? Some things in your universe could be greatly different than they are here." He pondered.

"Hmm...welp, that's probably as good of an explanation as I'll get. So, where to?" I asked. He quickly jumped up and spun about the console.

"Well, I was thinking, we haven't visited a planet in a while. Nor have we seen actual snow! Maybe we could go to..." I zoned out as my arm began to tingle.

"Doctor," I called out. He stopped and looked at me sadly.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" I nodded sadly.

"I'll see you soon." I smiled at him. Soon, the room blurred and I found myself standing on concrete. Before I could get a good look at my surroundings, the ground fell out from beneath me. I screeched in fear as everywhere below my hips were sucked into dirt.

"Carli!" My head shot up and I saw Amy running towards me.

"No don't!" I yelled out, but it was too late. The ground opened up beneath her and she began being dragged under as well.

"AMY! CARLI!" Eleven rushed over and began trying to pull me out. I struggled.

"No. Get Amy. I'll be fine." I said. He shook his head.

"No, I'm not losing you." I rolled my eyes.

"You'll see me soon enough. Save Pond." I stressed. A this point my shoulders were being pulled under. Amy still had a bit to go. He looked between us anxiously.

"Keep Ambrose away from her." I said before I was engulfed in darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get more hints into the mystery that is Carli! I hope you enjoyed this! Please comment! I love reviews. Here's the translations of the latin used in this chapter.
> 
> 1) Afternoon, sweetheart. What can I get you, my love?
> 
> 2) Huh? Sorry? Me no speak Celtic. No can do, missy!
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> -AvengersSummerHome


	5. Blood Loss and Loopy Tendencies

_Previously:_

_"Doctor," I called out. He stopped and looked at me sadly._

_"You're leaving, aren't you?" I nodded sadly._

_"I'll see you soon." I smiled at him. Soon, the room blurred and I found myself standing on concrete. Before I could get a good look at my surroundings, the ground fell out from beneath me. I screeched in fear as everywhere below my hips was sucked into dirt._

_"Carli!" My head shot up and I saw Amy running towards me._

_"No don't!" I yelled out, but it was too late. The ground opened up beneath her and she began being dragged under as well._

_"AMY! CARLI!" Eleven rushed over and began trying to pull me out. I struggled._

_"No. Get Amy. I'll be fine." I said. He shook his head._

_"No, I'm not losing you." I rolled my eyes._

_"You'll see me soon enough. Save Pond." I stressed. A this point my shoulders were being pulled under. Amy still had a bit to go. He looked between us anxiously._

_"Keep Ambrose away from her." I said before I was engulfed in darkness._

* * *

Chapter 5: Blood Loss and Loopy Tendencies

I slowly came to, feeling as if I'd been put in a freezer. I opened my eyes and found myself in a sort of medical room. As I started to take in my surroundings, I heard pounding and shouting.

"Let me out! Can anybody hear me?! I'm alive in here! Let me out! I know you're out there! My name is Amy Pond and you'd better get me the hell out of here or so help me I am going to kick your backside!" I opened my mouth to shush her, but her yelling attracted the Silurian doctor. He leaned over and peered down at her.

"Please?" Amy whimpered.

"Shh!" He put a finger to his lips.

"Did you just shush me?" Amy asked, incredulous. The doctor leaned back and began to fiddle with the controls. "Did you just shush me?" A low whistling sound filled the room as gas began to fill the pod holding Amy. "No no no, don't do that. No gas! No gas!"

The Silurian, once confirming that Amy was unconscious, came over in my direction. I then became aware of another person next to me.

"Hey, stop! She doesn't need to be hurt! You've already dissected me, I should be enough!" I turned my head and saw Mo glaring at the Silurian. He was ignored. The doctor turned on a voice recorder and placed it on an examination table next to me that was covered in surgical tools. My body flashed with heat as I began to panic.

"This human female appears to differ from the red headed one. Upon bringing her here, I found she was wearing clothes that suggest an aversion to cold temperatures," I looked down and whimpered when I saw that my P.J. shirt was gone and I was strapped to the table in my bra. Malokeh pressed a button on a control and the last of the restraints came down on my wrists.

"Decontamination complete. Commencing dissection." He grabbed a scalpel.

"Please," I croaked out, tears forming. "Please don't." My pleas fell upon deaf ears. The scalpel pressed down on my sternum.

I screamed.

* * *

_3rd Person:_

Amy came back into consciousness and found herself upright against an examining board, her arms and legs clasped down. She struggled against them.

"Don't struggle." Her head whipped around and looked at the man next to her. "Close your eyes and don't struggle." He continued in a whisper.

"What? Where am I? Why can't I move my body?" She whispered back.

"Decontamination, they call it. They did it to me. While I was conscious." Amy paled, eyes wide.

"OK, you're freaking me out now. Did what? Who did?" She said quickly.

"Dissected me." He said looking down at his torso. Amy froze.

"No." She whispered. Mo grimaced and nodded past her.

"They did the same to the other girl, but apparently she didn't satisfy what they were looking for." Amy furrowed her brows and turned her head. Her heart froze.

"Carli..." She whimpered. The unconscious girl was sweaty and pale. Her shirt was on a chair next to her, leaving her torso bare. Running from her naval up was an angry red wound with black stitches holding it together. Blood was slowly weeping from it and staining her plaid P.J. bottoms. Amy could make out tear tracks on her cheeks. The two's heads turned at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"He's coming. I'm sorry. I wish I could help you." Mo apologized. Moments later, a lizard creature came in wearing a surgical mask, an apron, and holding a syringe. Amy began to struggle furiously.

"Don't you come near me with that!" She warned, fearfully. The homo reptilia turned on a recording device.

"From the clothing, the human female appears to be more resistant to the cold than the male and the other female. Perhaps suggesting differences in the genetic makeup of human females. Possible thicker skin which would explain the excessive bleeding from the first female." Amy grimaced, eyes flashing.

"I dressed for Rio! And Carli's anemic!" She exclaimed.

"Leave her alone! You got me and the other one!" Mo pleaded. Again, he was ignored and clamps were locked into place around Amy's wrists.

"Decontamination complete. Commencing dissection." Amy closed her eyes and tensed as the scalpel drew nearer.

"Area 17 incursion, species diagnostic requested. Area 17 incursion, species diagnostic requested." An intercom caused everyone to freeze. Amy quickly snatched the remote from his pocket. Malokeh sighed and left the lab.

"Yeah! And stay out!" Amy yelled out. She smirked to herself before unlocking her restraints.

Mo looked at her in amazement as she undid his. "How did you get that?"

"You never picked a lizard man's pocket? Come on, help me get Carli down before he gets back." He nodded and braced himself to catch the time traveler. Once Amy pressed the button for her restraints, Carli fell like a deadweight into Mo's arms. Amy glanced around and found what resembled a wheelchair. She quickly brought it over.

"Put her on this," She said. Mo nodded and carefully placed her on it. Amy grabbed Carli's shirt and put it on her to preserve some of her dignity.

"Come on," She said. Mo got behind the wheelchair and pushed Carli out into the halls after Amy.

"That creature, do you think it was an alien? Any more of them do you think? Do you think the Earth's been invaded?" Mo asked, looking around.

"Don't know. Carli would know, but she's not exactly able to tell us anything. But I know someone else who could have some answers. We need to get back to the surface and find him. Especially before she gets any worse," she said looking to the other girl. She stopped at a door with a small window in it. "I wonder where this leads."

"Maybe it's a way out of here." Mo said, hopefully. Amy put her hand on a panel next to the door and the lights turned on inside. They both look in and find Mo's son, Elliot, attached to wires, out cold.

"Oh, my God, no." Mo said, voice shaking.

"What is it?" Amy worriedly asked.

"It's my son. It's Elliot. What've they done to him?" He frantically began tugging at the door. "No! He's in there! We have to get him out! Elliot! Elliot, it's Dad!" He called out in desperation.

"Access denied. Unauthorized genetic imprint." The computer stated. Amy grabbed Mo's arms.

"Seriously. We can't get in." She insisted.

"That's my boy in there!" He said furiously.

"These screens, they're monitoring something. I think they're vital signs - heartbeats, pulses. Why else would he be wired up? He's still alive." She pointed out, effectively calming the man.

"All right. We find weapons, get that creature from the lab and force it to release Elliot, yeah?" He said. Amy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, trust me we'll get him out." She replied. She grimaced thinking of what the Doctor would do if he got his hands on the creature that harmed Carli.

They continued down the tunnel. Behind them, the light in Elliot's room goes out. Amy and Mo soon found themselves in a chamber with glass-covered alcoves on either side.

"These chambers are all over the city." Amy wondered. She put her hand over a sensor and the alcoves lit up, showing masked warriors inside. Mo stepped back in surprise.

"Uh! Turn it off quick!" He said in a panic. Amy quickly put her hand on the sensor again and the lights went off. Unknown to the two, the commotion caused Carli to stir.

"They're not moving." Mo said, confused.

"Maybe they're asleep. Let's have another look." She hypothesized. She reached for the panel again, opening the pod doors.

"No, Amy, don't!" Mo protested. She waved him off and stepped inside.

"Amy, what are you doing? Get out of there." He insisted.

"Some sort of suspended animation." She looked down at the disks under their feet. "I wonder what these are. The Doctor or Carli would know. They always know." She whispered.

"Hey, look." Mo said, looking above them. Amy followed his eyes and saw a chute above each Silurian.

"Wait... I've got it. It's how they came up to the surface. Some sort of powered transport discs. It's our way out of here." She said smiling. Mo nodded.

"Even better, weapons. Come on, now we can fight back." He insisted, taking one of the guns. Amy hesitated, but took one as well. They stepped out and closed the containers.

"Which way now?" Mo asked.

"Door at the end." A tired voice intervened. The two jumped in fear. Looking at the source, they found Carli looking blearily back at them. Amy brightened up.

"Carli!" She rushed forward and hugged her friend. Carli whimpered as her wound was jostled. Amy released her immediately.

"Are you ok?" Amy asked. Her friend grimaced back at her.

"Not really, no. Not good with pain. Feel kinda sick. I'll be fine for now." She insisted. Amy an Mo looked at each other, unsure.

"Are you sure?" Mo asked.

"Nope!" Carli answered. "But yeah, door at the end." Mo looked back at Amy. She shrugged and started heading in that direction. Mo followed behind, pushing Carli. They continued down the tunnel and went through another sliding door. The came out to a sort of balcony. Below them stood a large chamber filled with soldiers in suspended animation.

"Wow." Mo whispered. Amy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah."

"We don't stand a chance." He stated in fearful awe.

"We have to find the Doctor." Amy said. She quickly led them from the chamber.

* * *

_Carli's POV:_

Not too long after, we could hear familiar voices.

"You're not authorised to do this!"

"I'm authorised to protect the safety of our species while they sleep." _Vastra?_ I got excited.

"Oh, lovely place, very gleaming." _Eleven too! Yay!_ I grinned widely. Amy and Mo looked a me strangely.

"This is our court and our place of execution." That spurred Amy into action. She rushed through the door, gun raised.

"Let them go!" She said, firmly.

"Amy Pond, there's a girl to rely on." Eleven replied. Mo entered pushing me. He stopped next to Amy and raised his gun as well.

"You're covered both ways, so don't try anything clever, buster." Amy said in confidence.

"Mo!" Nasreen exclaimed.

"Now let them go, or I shoot." Vastra ignored her and moved closer. I looked around in confusion. _Where's Jenny?_ "I'm warning you!" Amy continued. Vastra took her gun and pushed her to the ground.

"Don't you touch them!" Eleven shouted. He was ignored

"And you." Vastra said, turning to Mo. Soldiers approached us and took his gun as well.

"All right, Restac. You've made your point." Malokeh stated. I grimaced, scrunching up my nose. _I don't like him. He's mean._

"This is now a military tribunal. Go back to your laboratory, Malohkeh." Vastra hissed back. One of the other soldiers jabbed him in the back leading him away.

"This isn't the way." He said before he was gone. I grinned and looked at Vastra.

"Hiya Vastra! Thanks for getting rid of him! He's a meanie. Where's Jenny?" I said with a loopy grin. Vastra looked sharply at me.

"How do you know that name? My sister has been missing for two centuries now." She hissed, getting in my face. I wrinkled my nose in confusion.

"Whadyah mean? That's your name. I love the look by the way," I giggled, winking. She narrowed her eyes at me before turning to the soldiers in the room.

"Prepare them for execution." She ordered. They sprung into action and began tying everyone to pillars. One of the soldiers roughly grabbed me from my roll-y chair and dragged me towards the others. A sharp tugging pain caused me to cry out in agony. Eleven's head whipped towards us, eyes dark with fury.

"What did you do to her?" He yelled, struggling to get free. He was ignored. I was soon tied up next to him. He looked at me in a worried panic.

"What happened?" He urgently asked. I just shook my head, crying from the pain.

"They dissected her," Amy answered for me. His head snapped towards her. "I think she has some sort of infection. She started acting loopy and feverish soon after she woke up." She explained further. "Also, sorry, as rescues go, didn't live up to its potential."

"I'm glad you're OK." He said, but looked at me, worried.

"Me too! Lizard men, though!" Amy exclaimed

"Homo reptilia... They occupied the planet before humans. Now they want it back." He answered back distractedly.

"After they've wiped out the human race." Nasreen pitched in.

"Right, preferred it when I didn't know, to be honest." Amy muttered. The soldiers lined up in front of us like a firing squad, but didn't fire.

"Why are they waiting? What do you think they're going to do with us?" Nasreen wondered, watching them.

There was a sudden buzzing electrical sound that caused the lights to flash. An old computer monitor flared to life. On the screen was Rory, Tony, and Ambrose. Despite the pain, I grinned through the pain at the sight of my favorite Roman.

"Oh, my God." Ambrose whispered in fear.

"Who is the ape leader?" Vastra demanded. Ambrose whispered to the other two in a panic and quickly moved off screen with a tarp.

"Who speaks for the apes?" Vastra pressed further.

The three looked at each other. Rory slowly stepped forward.

"I speak for the... humans. Some of us, anyway." He offered.

"Do you understand who we are?" Vastra demanded.

"Sort of. A bit. Not really." Rory admitted.

"We have ape hostages." Vastra said and the monitor turned towards us.

The view zooms out to show the hostages toed to the pillars.

"Doctor! Amy! Carli!" Rory exclaimed, running to the camera.

"Mo! Mo, are you OK?" Ambrose frantically asked.

"I'm fine, love! I've found Elliot. I'm bringing him home!" Mo shouted back. Ambrose smiled in relief.

"Amy! I thought I'd lost you!" Rory said, staring happily at Amy. She playfully rolled her eyes in response.

"What, cos I was sucked into the ground? You're so clingy."

"Rory! My fave roman! Thanks for the catch in Pompeii! I need help though. I don't feel so good," I said with a pout. He nodded confused before looking to Eleven.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked, pointing at me. Eleven grimaced.

"She became a science experiment." He said, darkly. Rory's eyes widened.

"Tony Mack!" Nasreen yelled out happily, interrupting us. Tony smiled at the camera.

"Having fun down there?" He asked. Eleven piped up.

"Not to interrupt, but just a quick reminder to stay calm." He said, looking at the group on the monitor.

"Show me Alaya. Show me and release her, immediately, unharmed, or we kill your friends…" Vastra threatened. I tilted my head.

"You have a sister? I didn't know that! Is Jenny with her?" I asked, excited. Vastra hissed at me in response before turning back to the monitor.

"… one by one." She finished.

"No!" Ambrose shouted. I groaned.

"Ambrose..."Rory protested, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Steady now, everyone." Eleven said, feeling the rising tension.

"Ambrose, stop it!" Tony cried out. He made to grab her but she pushed him off.

"Get off me, Dad!" She glared at Vastra. "We didn't start this!"

"Oh shut up you stupid bitch!" I shouted. Eleven nodded.

"Let Rory deal with this Ambrose, eh! Also, language." He tried reasoning, scolding me for my wording. However, Ambrose was too far gone.

"We're not doing what you say any more. Now, give me back my family!" She demanded. It was silent for a moment as everyone waited anxiously for Vastra to respond.

"No. Execute the girl." She said, pointing at me. The soldiers immediately untied me and dragged me forward. Eleven and Amy struggled against their bonds and voiced their protests. Rory rushed forward and shoved Ambrose to the side.

"No! No, wait!"

"Doctor!" I whimpered in pain.

"She's not speaking for us!" Rory continued, desperately. They dropped me to the ground in the center of the room.

"There's no need for this..." Eleven cried out in a panic.

"Listen! Listen! Whatever you want... we'll do it!" Rory tried desperately.

"Aim." I looked at Vastra, hurt. _Did I do something wrong?_

"Carli!" Amy yelled out.

"Don't do this!" Eleven pleaded.

"Fire!" I closed my eyes.

"Stop!"

Everyone froze. Malokeh reentered with Eldane, an elder Silurian.

"You want to start a war, while the rest of us sleep, Restac?" The elder calmly asked.

"The apes are attacking us!" She hissed.

"You're our protector, not our commander, Restac. Unchain them." He calmly ordered. Vastra protested.

"I do not recognize your authority at this time, Eldane." She furiously hissed.

"Well, then, you must shoot me." He said, opening his arms. Vastra approached Malokeh, frustrated.

"You woke him to undermine me." She accused. He nodded.

"We're not monsters. And neither are they." I grumbled angrily.

"Yeah, but you are on my shit list, buddy."

"What is it about apes you love so much? Mmm?" Vastra angrily asked.

"While you slept, they've evolved. I've seen it for myself." He insisted. I snorted.

"No shit, Sherlock."

"We used to hunt apes for sport. When we came underground, they bred and polluted this planet." Vastra spat.

"Shush now, Restac. Go and play soldiers. I'll let you know if I need you." Eldane dismissed her. She glared ferociously at him.

"You'll need me, then we'll see." She stormed out of the room. Eldane turned to Malokeh.

"Release them." Malokeh nodded and quickly untied everyone. Eleven rushed to me.

"Are you alright?" He frantically asked, examining me for any new injuries. I smiled at him.

"I'm always alright." I whispered. He grimaced before rummaging through his pockets.

"Here," He said, pulling out a redish looking pill. "Take this. It will help with the pain and blood loss." I grabbed and swallowed it before he finished his sentence. He chuckled weakly. He then stood up and rushed over to the monitor.

"Rory!" He called out. He fiddled with some controls and the screen came alive again. "Hello!"

"Where's Carli?" Rory asked.

"She's fine, look, here, she is." He moved aside so I was visible. I waved.

"Oh, thank God." He said relieved. He grinned at Amy. "Thank God you're safe too, Amy." She grinned

"Keeping you on your toes!" She replied.

"No time to chat. Listen, you need to get down here... Go to the drill storeroom, there's a large patch of earth in the middle of the floor. The Silurians are going to send up transport discs to bring you back down using geothermal energy and gravity bubble-technology. It's how they travel and frankly it's pretty cool. Bring Alaya. We hand her over, we can land this after all. All going to work, promise. Got to dash! Hurry up!" Eleven stated before turning off the monitor. He turned to us grinning.

"Now then," He clapped his hands together. "Let's get started!"

* * *

I hummed the Doctor Who theme happily as I laid down on a bench. Amy and Nasreen were seated next to me and Eldane was sat across from them. Eleven stood by my head with Mo and Malokeh stood behind him.

"I'd say, you've got a fair bit to talk about." Eleven said smiling.

"How so?" Eldane asked in confusion.

"You both want the planet. You both have a genuine claim to it." He explained.

"Are you authorised to negotiate on behalf of humanity?" Eldane asked. Eleven shook his head.

"Me? No! But they are!" He pointed to Amy and Nasreen. The looked at him in shock.

"What?!" Nasreen exclaimed.

"No, we're not!" Amy protested.

"Course you are! Amy Pond and Nasreen Chaudhry, speaking for the planet!" He stood behind them, hands on their shoulders. "Humanity couldn't have better ambassadors. Come on, who has more fun than us?" He walked over to the end of the table. Amy stood up and followed him.

"Is this what happens, in the future, the planet gets shared? Is that what we need to do?" She asked in wonder. Nasreen, hearing them, walked over.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Oh, Nasreen, sorry, probably worth mentioning at this stage, Amy and I travel in time, a bit." She looked at him in shock.

"Anything else?" She finally asked.

"There are fixed points through time, where things must always stay the way they are. This is not one of them. This is an opportunity, a temporal tipping point. Whatever happens today, will change future events, create its own timeline, its own reality. The future pivots around you. Here. Now. So do good. For humanity, and for Earth." He said, smiling at them.

"Right. No pressure there, then." She started to head back to the table before turning back to him.

"Hang on. Carli's human too. Why isn't she speaking for humanity?" She asked, arms crossed.

"I don't think that she's in the right frame of mind to do anything at the moment." He said. They both looked back at me. I grinned goofily and waved.

"Why did the time vortex change color? I liked it better blue and purple," I asked. They only stared back at me.

"...right," Amy nodded. She sat back down at the table.

"We can't share the planet. Nobody on the surface is going to go for this idea. It is just too big a leap!" Nasreen protested. Eleven grinned at her.

"Come on. Be extraordinary." She narrowed her eyes at him, a smile beginning to form.

"Oh...you..." She said. She then joined Amy.

"OK." Eleven said, slamming his hands on the table. I jumped, startled. "Bringing things to order - the first meeting of representatives of the human race and homo reptilian is now in session. Ha! Never said that before, that's fab! Carry on!" He pointed to Mo. "Now, Mo, let's go and get your son. Oh, you know, humans, and their predecessors, shooting the breeze. Never thought I'd see it." He said grinning. Then he, Mo, and Malokeh were gone.

As the peace negotiations began, I quickly fell asleep.

* * *

_3rd Person:_

Eleven and Mo stood outside of Elliot's door as Malokeh began to unlock it.

"If you've harmed him in any way…" Mo threatened Malokeh. The Silurian strongly protested.

"Of course not! I only store the young."

"But why?" Eleven asked, keeping his temper in check.

"I took samples of the young, slowed their lifecycles to a millionth of their normal rate. So I could study how they grew, what they needed, how they lived on the surface." Malokeh explained.

"You've been down here, working by yourself, all alone?" The time lord asked.

"My family, through the millennia... For the last 300 years, just me." He looked at Mo. "I never meant to harm your child."

"Malohkeh, I would rather love you right now. One important detail though. One crucial, life changing detail. You hurt Carli." He glared, the Oncoming Storm making it's appearance. Malokeh appeared to pale in fright. After a minute of staring, Eleven turned away. "It's safe. We can wake him."

Malokeh quickly entered the room and removed the wires attached to Elliot, hoping to avoid furthering the Doctor's wrath. He turned back to Mo and beckoned him inside.

"Come."

Mo entered and stood before his son as he slowly woke up.

"Elliot? Ell, it's Dad." Elliot blearily looked at Mo.

"What...?" Finally aware, Elliot's eyes lit up. "Dad." He exclaimed. Mo grabbed Elliot into a hug.

"You're safe now." He whispered.

"Where are we?" Elliot looked up at his dad.

"Well, I've got to be honest with you, son. We're in the centre of the Earth... and there are lizard men." He said slowly, nodding towards Malokeh. Elliot turned and saw the Silurian and the Doctor

"Wow." He whispered. Eleven walked in and leaned down towards Elliot.

"I'm sorry. I took my eye off you." He apologized. Elliot shrugged with a small smile.

"It's ok. I forgive you." He stuck out his hand. The Doctor grabbed it with a smile. With that out of the way, he led the father and son duo out into the hallway.

"You go on, Doctor. I'll catch up." Malokeh called out. Eleven waved his hand dismissively in response, continuing back towards the main hall.

* * *

_ Carli's POV: _

I grimaced as I woke up. Everything hurt and it was way too hot for me to be comfortable. I slowly sat up, biting my lip as my stomach wound pulled. I looked around and spotted Rory. I grinned and was about to call out when I saw the bundle in Tony's arms.

"What did you do?" Eleven's voice cut through the mounting tension in the room.

"It was me. I did it." Ambrose called out, sounding almost proud. Any remaining hints of a smile was gone from my face in an instant. Elliot stepped away from his mother in shock and horror.

"Mum?" He asked. She looked down at him with a tearful smile and reached out for him.

"I just wanted you back." Before her hand could reach him, he flinched away. She froze in despair. She looked around and saw everyone looking at her in pity and shame. She glanced at me and quickly turned away from the glare I was sending towards her. Eleven quickly walked over to Eldane who was watching this in sadness.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. You have to believe me, they're better than this." He pleaded on the human's behalf. He winced when Ambrose found her voice again.

"This is our planet!" She shouted. Eleven whipped around and glared at her.

"We had a chance here." He spat. She ignored him.

"Leave us alone." She cried out. I stood up, gripping the table edge in support.

"No." She looked towards me. "They _were_ here first. Did you never learn about the silurian period of earth in school you stupid bitch? It was a piece of history and fact just like the dinosaurs. And even if they didn't have legitimate claim to this planet, you have no right to take the life of another. How would you feel if they killed Elliot or Mo the way you killed one of theirs?" She flinched, looking at her husband and son. The Doctor strode over to her.

"In future, when you talk about this, you tell people there was a chance but you were so much less than the best of humanity." He said calmly. She gazed up at him, eyes wide.

Suddenly, armed soldiers entered the room, followed by Restac. I grimaced at the memory of constantly calling her Vastra.

"My sister." She called out. Everyone looked away. She quickly spotted the bundle on the floor. She ran to it, dropping down besides it. Heart wrenching wails soon filled the room as she looked upon her sister's face. Tears sprang into my eyes.

"And you want us to trust these apes, Doctor?" She whispered brokenly, not looking away from the body. Eleven quickly stepped forward, trying to regain control of the situation.

"One woman. She was scared for her family. She's not typical." Restac's head whipped around so she could look him in the eyes. She snarled at him before turning to look at Ambrose.

"I think she is." She hissed. The Time Lord turned to Eldane, pleadingly.

"One person let us down. But there's a whole race of dazzling, peaceful human beings up there. You were building something, here, come on...an alliance could work." He tried. Ambrose cut in.

"It's too late for that, Doctor." He turned to look at her in confusion. Off to the side, Tony ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Why?" He asked. Ambrose stood straighter.

Our drill is set to start burrowing again in..." She looked at her watch. "15 minutes." Those who didn't know this stared at her in shock.

"What?" Nasreen asked, horrified. She looked towards Tony. He grimaced and tried to give an explanation.

"What choice did I have? They had Elliot." He said helplessly.

"Don't do this, don't call their bluff." Eleven tried.

"Let us go back. And you promise to never come to the surface ever again. We'll walk away, leave you alone." Ambrose reasoned. Restac stood sharply and walked towards her soldiers.

"Execute her!"

"No!" The Doctor grabbed Ambrose out of the way of the gunfire. "Everybody, back to the lab! Run!" He shouted. He then ran to me and before I knew what was happening, I was being held in his arms fireman style. He then led the way for the group as we ran towards the main doors.

"Execute all the apes!" Restac shouted out. I reached into Eleven's coat pocket and fished around for his sonic. Finding it, I pulled it out and pressed the button, hoping that I wouldn't end up fucking this up. Behind us, the guns exploded. Eleven looked at me surprised. I shrugged.

"You don't exactly have free arms. Unless you're not telling us something." I stated, raising an eyebrow. He flushed, before turning back to the soldiers.

"This is a deadly weapon, stay back." He warned. One of the soldiers lashed out with their tongue. Eleven ducked out of the way and rushed from the room.

"Take everyone to the lab!" He yelled to Rory, passing me to him. He ducked to dodge the beam of one of the guns that survived the sonic. "I'll cover you! Go! Go!" Rory nodded and continued down the hall as the Doctor stalled. I grinned up at him.

"Hey Roranicus! How's my favorite roman?" He rolled his eyes at me.

"Again, I'm British, not Roman. And I'm alright I guess. Could do without the guns." I snorted. We finally reached the lab. Once inside, he set me down on a chair. Moments later, Eleven rushed in and soniced the door shut behind him.

"Elliot, you and your dad keep your eyes on that screen. Let me know if we get company. Amy," He said, tossing a stopwatch at her. "keep reminding me how much time I haven't got." Mo and Elliot moved towards the screen and watched the monitor intently for movement outside.

"OK, 12 minutes till drill impact." Amy called out. Tony sat down next to me, panting. A sheen of sweat covered his face. Nasreen stood over him concerned. Frowning, Eleven came over.

"Tony Mack, sweaty forehead, dilated pupils, what're you hiding?" He wondered aloud. Tony slowly pulled his shirt collar down, revealing a green infection spreading across his chest in a web-like fashion. Nasreen gasped in shock.

"Tony! What happened?!" The Doctor soniced the area.

"Alaya's sting. She said there's no cure. I'm dying, aren't I?" Tony asked, looking at the Time Lord. He looked at the sonic's readings in shock.

"You're not dying, you're mutating. How can I stop it? Decontamination program! Might work, don't know. Eldane, can you run the program on Tony?" He rambled on. Mo suddenly cut in.

"Doctor, shedload of those creatures coming our way! We're surrounded in here!" He called out. Eldane came over and helped Tony to the decontamination chamber.

"So, question is, how we do stop the drill, given we can't get there in time? Plus also, how do we get out, given that we're surrounded? Nasreen, how d'you feel about an energy pulse, channelled up through the tunnels to the base of the drill?" Eleven asked. Nasreen looked at him in shock.

"To blow up my life's work?" She grimaced.

"Yes. Sorry. No nice way of putting that." He winced in response. Nasreen sighed before pulling herself together.

"Right, well, you're going to have to do it before the drill hits the city, in..." She looked to Amy.

"11 minutes, 40 seconds..." Eleven clapped his hands together. 

"Yes! Squeaky bum time!" Nasreen nodded, but grimaced.

"Yes, but the explosion is going to cave in all the surrounding tunnels so we have to be on the surface by then." Rory looked at the monitor showing the tunnel outside.

"But we can't get past Restac's troops." He stated. Eldane then stepped up.

"I can help with that... Toxic Fumigation, an emergency failsafe meant to protect my species from infection. A warning signal to occupy cryo-chambers. After that, citywide fumigation, by toxic gas. Then the city shuts down." He explained. Amy looked at him, concerned.

"You could end up killing your own people." She pointed out. He shook his head in response.

"Only those foolish enough to follow Restac." He stated. Eleven strode over to Eldane.

"Eldane, are you sure about this?" He asked, frowning.

"My priority is my race's survival. The Earth isn't ready for us to return yet." He stated firmly.

"No." He agreed.

"10 minutes, Doctor." Amy called out.

"But maybe it should be. So here's the deal. Everybody listening?" He span about. "Eldane, you activate shutdown... I'll amend the system, set your alarm for 1,000 years' time." Eldane went towards the controls. "1,000 years, to sort the planet out. To be ready. Pass it on. As legend, or prophesy, or religion, but somehow, make it known. This planet is to be shared." He said, looking at the family. Elliot nodded.

"Yeah. I get you." He confirmed.

"Nine minutes, seven seconds." Amy cut in. Eleven rushed to the controls and joined Eldane.

"Yes, fluid controls, my favourite! Energy pulse timed, primed and set. Before we go, energy barricade, need to cancel it out, quickly." He pointed his sonic at the controls and seconds later, the barricade went down.

"Fumigation pre-launching." Eldane stated.

"There's not much time for us to get from here to the surface, Doctor!" Rory said, growing increasingly worried. Eleven shook his head with a grin. I jumped in surprise when my arm began to tingle.

"Ah-ha, super-squeaky bum time! Get ready to run for your lives. Now..."

"Doctor," I called out. He spun about to face me. His smile froze in place when he saw me holding my arm.

"Ah." he said. I shrugged, smiling.

"See you soon, I guess. Hopefully less of the blood and stuff, though." I said, wrinkling my nose. I then looked towards Amy and Rory.

"Amy, I want you to know, it's going to be ok. Everything will turn out alright." She furrowed her brows in confusion, but nodded slowly. I waved and then I was gone.

* * *

I blurred into existence in an ornate hallway that was painted a pale yellow with a white trim. The rug below me was a navy blue. I looked around in confusion.

"Freeze!" A voice shouted out from behind me. The sound of guns clicking rang out. I stiffened, hands shooting into the air. I instantly regretted it as a sharp pain flared up from my wound. One of my hands wrapped around my abdomen as the other staid up in the air.

"Turn around slowly!" I slowly turned to face the voice and found myself face to face with Crowley. I blinked in confusion.

"Crowley?" I questioned. He looked at me in confusion. The man next to him called out.

"Both hands in the air! Now!" I grimaced but lifted my other hand in the air. The men in front of me gasped at the massive bloodstain on my shirt front. Crowley turned to the man next to him.

"Go get medical, now." The man didn't look away from me.

"Mr Delaware, you have no official authority in this matter and..." Crowley, or Canton I now realize, cut him off.

"Now!" He barked. The other man grimaced before complying, turning to go down the hall. Canton slowly approached me, gun still up, but slightly relaxed.

"So, miss. Would you care to tell me why and how you ended up covered in blood in a hallway of the White House?" I groaned.

"Fuck"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey fam! Sorry about the lateness. School and work has prevented me from writing faster and my dog just recently got injured so that set me back a bit. Either way, I'm back! I hope you all liked this chapter! Please review!
> 
> AvengersSummerHome
> 
> PS.
> 
> Question.
> 
> Doctor, River, or both?


	6. I Always Wanted to be an Astronaut

_Previously:_

_I blurred into existence in an ornate hallway that was painted a pale yellow with a white trim. The rug below me was a navy blue. I looked around in confusion._

_"Freeze!" A voice shouted out from behind me. The sound of guns clicking rang out. I stiffened, hands shooting into the air. I instantly regretted it as a sharp pain flared up from my wound. One of my hands wrapped around my abdomen as the other staid up in the air._

_"Turn around slowly!" I slowly turned to face the voice and found myself face to face with Crowley. I blinked in confusion._

_"Crowley?" I questioned. He looked at me in confusion. The man next to him called out._

_"Both hands in the air! Now!" I grimaced but lifted my other hand in the air. The men in front of me gasped at the massive bloodstain on my shirt front. Crowley turned to the man next to him._

_"Go get medical, now." The man didn't look away from me._

_"Mr. Delaware, you have no official authority in this matter and..." Crowley, or Canton I now realize, cut him off._

_"Now!" He barked. The other man grimaced before complying, turning to go down the hall. Canton slowly approached me, gun still up, but slightly relaxed._

_"So, miss. Would you care to tell me why and how you ended up covered in blood in a hallway of the White House?" I groaned._

_"Fuck"_

* * *

Chapter 6: I Always Wanted to be an Astronaut

"Son of a bitch!"

I hissed as the nurse dabbed at my wound with an alcohol swab. A loud snort sounded from the side of the room. I glared at the man responsible.

"Oh don't look at me like that. It's not every day you see a lady cursing like a sailor," Canton said with a smirk. He walked forward as the nurse backed away, seemingly finished torturing me with antiseptic. "Now then, now that we've gotten you medical help, care to share how you managed to make it to the hallway outside the Oval Office?" I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly.

"Um...I plead the fifth?" I responded, chuckling weakly. He sighed, running a hand down his face.

"Look, miss, the only reason I'm allowed to be here interrogating you is due to that fit you threw earlier." I blushed, looking down. I had faked a freak out earlier and exploded when they tried to get me to cooperate with them. I wanted to talk to Canton and acting like a mad lady to do so seemed perfectly reasonable. The other agents had just stood there with their guns trained on me in alarm until Canton "calmed" me down.

"Sorry," I muttered. He sighed again.

"It's fine. Can you tell me anything?" I was silent for a moment. ' _It probably won't matter if I told him since he'll find out soon'_ I thought to myself. I opened my mouth to respond when the door was opened. The man from earlier stepped in.

"Mr. Delaware, you've kept the President waiting long enough. You are to report to him now. I will take over with the intruder," he ordered. Canton nodded and headed towards the door.

"Say thanks to whomever's sweater I'm borrowing!" I called out to him. It was nice to not be in a bloodstained shirt anymore. Canton gave me a quick smile and then left, shutting the door behind him.

"Now then, miss. Who the hell do you work for?" He demanded. I groaned.

* * *

_3rd Person:_

The Doctor carefully stepped out of the TARDIS into the Oval Office. He froze upon seeing two men conversing at the desk. As silently as he could, he took out a pen and paper and began taking notes of the conversation.

"Hello? Who is this? This is President Nixon. Who's calling? Is this you again?" A recording sounded.

"Mister President?"

"A child?" The man sitting down exclaimed.

"This is the President, yes."

"I'm scared, Mister President. I'm scared of the spaceman."

"A little girl?" The man questioned. The President shook his head.

"Boy."

"How can you be sure?" He was ignored in favor of the rest of the recording.

"What spaceman? Where are you phoning from? Where are you right now? Who are you?"

"Jefferson Adams, Hamilton."

"Jefferson, listen to me." The recording ended.

"Surely this is something the Bureau could handle, sir." The man questioned. He was shot down.

"These calls happen wherever I am. How do I know the Bureau isn't involved? I can't trust anyone," Nixon stated as he turned around. He froze at the sight of the Doctor. The other man quickly stood and caught sight of the Time Lord. Oblivious, he waved his hand as if telling them to continue. He then became aware of the situation.

"Oh. Hello. Bad moment. Oh look, this is the Oval Office. I was looking for the er, oblong room. I'll just be off, then, shall I?" He says, backing up slowly. He then sharply turned only to smack into the TARDIS. "Don't worry! It always does that when it's cloaked." He was promptly tackled to the ground as Nixon pressed the panic button.

"Ah, no. Stop that." The Doctor pleaded. The rest of the Secret Service rushed in, guns raised.

"Lockdown! Lockdown!" One of them shouted.

"River, have you got my scanner working yet?" Eleven called out. Then, as if predicting what the space-haired woman said, called out "No, you don't!"

"Get the President out of here. Sir, you have to go with them, now." The secret service man exclaimed.

"River, make her blue again!" Eleven called out. Finally, the TARDIS reappeared, now visible to others.

"What the hell is that?" Nixon wondered. While everyone was distracted by the spaceship, the Doctor slipped out from under the men and sat himself down in the President's chair.

"Mister President, that child just told you everything you need to know, but you weren't listening. Never mind, though, because the answer's yes. I'll take the job." The agents immediately trained their guns back on him. "Again with the guns, really? I just walked into the highest security office in the United States and parked a big blue box on the rug. Do you think you can just shoot me?" It was then that the TARDIS opened.

"They're Americans!" River exclaimed as if that explained everything. "Even Carli would agree! They are way too gun happy here!" As if to prove her statement, the agents turned their guns on her and the Ponds.

"Don't shoot. Definitely no shooting." The Doctor exclaimed.

"Nobody shoot us either. Very much not in need of getting shot. Look, we've got our hands up." Rory commented awkwardly, shaking his hands for further emphasis.

"Who the hell are you?" Nixon asked. The man from earlier, Canton, approached.

"Sir, you need to stay back." Nixon turned to him.

"But who are they and what is that box?"

"It's a police box. Can't you read? I'm your new undercover agent on loan from Scotland Yard. Codename the Doctor. These are my top operatives, the Legs, the Nose, and Mrs. Robinson." The Doctor explained on the spot. River glared at him.

"I hate you." Eleven smirked.

"No, you don't."

"Who are you?" Nixon asked again. The Doctor waved him off.

"Nah, boring question. Who's phoning you? That's interesting. Because Canton Three is right. That was definitely a girl's voice, which means there's only one place in America she can be phoning from." Canton looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"Where?" He asked. One of the agents glared at him.

"Do not engage with the intruder, Mister Delaware. I let it slide before, it won't happened a second time." Eleven looked at them confused for a moment before going back to the topic at hand.

"You heard everything I heard. It's simple enough. Give me five minutes, I'll explain. On the other hand, lay a finger on me or my friends, and you'll never, ever know." He bribed. Canton eyed him for a moment before pointing at the TARDIS.

"How did you get it in here? I mean, you didn't carry it in." He wondered. The Doctor smirked.

"Clever, eh?" Canton smirked back.

"Love it." The same agent from before interrupted.

"Do not compliment the intruder." Canton merely waved him off, looking at the Time Lord.

"Five minutes?" He confirmed, holding up five fingers. The Doctor nodded.

"Five."

"Mister President, that man is a clear and present danger to..." The agent tried again. Canton cut him off.

"Mister President, that man walked in here with a big blue box and three of his friends, and that's the man he walked past. One of them's worth listening to. I say we give him five minutes. See if he delivers. Maybe he can tell us who the intruder from earlier is." Eleven smiled.

"Thanks, Canton."

"If he doesn't, I'll shoot him myself." Canton finished. The smile quickly disappeared.

"Not so thanks." He muttered. Then the rest of Canton's statement registered. "Hold on, another intruder? Does this intruder have medium length brown hair, green eyes, and a scar on her jaw that looks like a pink freckle?" He asked. Canton raised an eyebrow.

"Yes as a matter of fact. Another of Scotland Yard's? Since when do they take American operatives?" He confirmed. Eleven grinned.

"Yes! Yes, she is! Where is she?" He asked, excited.

"In medical," Canton replied. The Doctor frowned in concern.

"What's wrong with her? Is she hurt?" He asked, worry growing.

"She showed up down the hallway with a blood-soaked shirt on and a long incision going up her sternum. Medical patched her up and now she is waiting for Peterson to continue his interrogation. Although, I don't think that is necessary anymore." Canton explained. Eleven's eyes widened at this.

"Sir, I cannot recommend..."

"Shut up, Peterson! All right, five minutes." Nixon relented. Snapping out of it, the Doctor nodded and sat back down in the President's chair.

"I'm going to need a SWAT team, ready to mobilize. Street level maps covering all of Florida. A pot of coffee, twelve Jammie Dodgers, Carli, and a fez." Canton eyed him briefly.

"Get him the girl and his maps," Canton ordered. The Doctor huffed, annoyed. Then, he brightened up at thought of seeing Carli again.

* * *

_Carli's POV:_

"...that's the American, not quite Canadian, most of us are Mexican..." I sang to myself, bored out of my mind. My nose twitched in agitation. Going crosseyed, I glared down at my itchy nose.

"Seriously?" I huffed. Groaning, I leaned over so that my hands, which were cuffed to the table, could reach my face. "Ah bless!" I praised. At that precise moment, the door opened and Canton walked in. We both froze and looked at each other.

"I swear I'm not picking my nose," I exclaimed quickly. He merely raised an eyebrow at me. "What? You try scratching your nose when your hands are cuffed to a table!" I glared. He walked over to me with a smirk.

"Been there, done that, sweetheart." He unlocked the cuffs, freeing my hands. "Anyways, your colleagues from the Yard are here." I stared at him blankly for a moment before I actually figured out what the hell he was talking about. I jumped from my seat with a grin and skipped towards the door.

"Yay! C'mon! I wanna see the Ponds!" I exclaimed. Impatient, I started to skip down the hall without Canton.

"Wrong way doll," He called out. I froze mid skip.

"Fuck..." I swore under my breath. "Now I just look stupid..." I pivoted on my foot and trudged back to Canton. I paused in front of him and gestured for him to lead the way. He chuckled and led me to the Oval Office.

* * *

"As you asked, here's the girl," Canton called out as we entered the room. I grinned happily, seeing the Ponds first.

"Ponds!" I giggled and ran to them, wrapping them in a bear hug. They returned it gladly. I beamed up at them.

"How are you guys! Last I saw you was with the Silurians!" Rory and Amy smiled.

"Good, you know? It's good to see you." Rory stated, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's good to see you too!" I exclaimed. I looked over and saw River. I immediately bolted for her, wrapping her in a bear hug as well.

"River! Ahh, this is so awesome meeting you! I mean, I met Alex Kingston at a con once and we did the Charlie's Angels pose, but that doesn't really count does it? What do you use in your hair?" I rambled, bouncing up and down. She looked at me bemused and sad.

"Hello, darling. It's... it's nice to meet you too." She smiled weakly. My smile disappeared in a flash.

"Oh, no shit, what's wrong?" I panicked. She shook her head.

"It's fine, nothing is wrong. I just thought I'd be ready for when you meet me for the first time, that's all. You know of me but you don't really know _me._ " She whispered. She then forced a smile on her face. "But I'm fine, truely. And as for my hair," She leaned in, looking around conspiratorially. "It's all my secrets." I snorted.

"Smooth." I grinned. I squeaked in surprise when I was grabbed from behind and spun around. Once on flat, sturdy ground, I turned to find myself face to face with the Doctor. I grinned again. "Doctor!" I wrapped him in another bear hug.

"Hello, Carli!" He exclaimed. He pulled back. "Silurians? That's where we're at?" He asked. I nodded. He pouted. "You're so young!" I glared at him.

"Hey, just because it's not legal for me to drink in America doesn't mean I'm young." I pouted. It was a sore spot for me. My round face caused many people to mistake me for a twelve-year-old. Eleven smirked and ruffled my hair.

"Of course not." He teased. I smacked him upside the head. "Ow! Stop it!" He whined, rubbing his head. I responded back very maturely by sticking out my tongue. "Anyways, come help us with these maps!" He said, grabbing my hand and leading me over to the piles of paper on the floor.

"Why Florida?" Canton asked, having been quiet until now.

"There's where NASA is. She mentioned a spaceman. NASA's where the spacemen live. Also, there's another lead I'm following." He explained, placing a large map on the President's desk. I wandered over to Amy and River who were nealing off to the side over one of the maps.

"A spaceman, like the one we saw at the lake," Amy whispered to River.

"Maybe. Probably." River said, standing. She smiled at me and kissed me on the forehead. I blushed, fighting a smile. I looked back at Amy and found her staring at the doorway.

"I remember." She whispered. I followed her gaze and saw the Silence standing in the doorway. I flinched. They were a lot creepier in person than on tv.

"Amy? What do you remember?" Rory asked, coming up beside them. Amy looked at him and then back to the figure, now gone.

"I don't know. I just..." She broke off, gagging. Rory frowned in concern. I came over and rubbed her gently on the back.

"Amy, what's wrong?"

"Amy?" River called from the couch. Eleven looked over as he crossed the room.

"Are you all right?" He asked, concerned. Amy nodded slightly.

"Yeah. No, I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little sick. Excuse me, is there a toilet or something?" She asked, walking up to Peterson. He shook his head.

"Sorry, ma'am, while this procedure's ongoing, you must remain within the Oval office."

"Shut up and take her to the restroom," Canton ordered, waving his hand. The two glared at each other for a moment before Peterson nodded to the man next to him.

"This way, ma'am." The man said, leading her from the room.

"Thanks," Amy responded. The two disappeared around the corner. Rory stood to follow them only to be stopped by Peterson.

"Your five minutes are up," Canton stated offhandedly. Eleven didn't even bother looking up from the map.

"Yeah, and where's my fez?" He quipped. I snorted. He shot me a quick grin before looking back at the map.

Bored, a sat down on the couch next to River and played with a loose string on the sweater. I froze however when a thought came to me.

_Why the hell can I still remember the Silence?_ I bit my lip in worry. _Maybe since I'm from another universe their memory wipe thing doesn't work?_ That was the only possible answer I could come up with. I barely noticed Amy return I was so engrossed in my theories. However, I jumped, startled, when the phone on Nixon's desk began to ring. Everyone's eyes snapped to the phone.

"The kid?" Canton asked, looking at the President. Nixon stood from his chair.

"Should I answer it?"

"Here! The only place in the United States that call could be coming from. See? Obvious, when you think about it." Eleven shouted, pointing furiously at a point on the map. Canton leaned over and looked where his finger was pointing.

"You, sir, are a genius." He stated in wonder. The Doctor waved a hand flippantly.

"It's a hobby." Canton looked up at the President.

"Mister President, answer the phone." Nixon hesitantly picked up the phone and pressed record on his tape.

"Hello. This is President Nixon."

"It's here! The spaceman's here! It's going to get me! It's going to eat me!" I inhaled sharply at Melody's fear-filled tone. Her words sprung everyone into action.

"There's no time for a SWAT team. Let's go. Mister President, tell her helps on the way. Canton, on no account, follow me into this box and close the door behind you." Eleven called out, hurriedly putting back on his jacket. He grabbed my hand and tugged me inside the TARDIS after him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Canton called out, following after us. Eleven dropped my hand and proceeded to assist River in piloting the TARDIS.

"Jefferson isn't a girl's name. It's not her name either. Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton. River." He stated, pointing at the space-haired woman.

"Surnames of three of America's founding fathers." She replied.

"Lovely fellows. Two of them fancied me. They fancied Carli as well," He grumbled the last bit. I quirked my eyebrow at that.

"Wait really? Huh...cool! Guess I'll have to make you take me to see Hamilton then!" I grinned, mentally fist pumping the air. _Damn, I want to see that musical._

"Are you okay? Coping?" Rory's voice rang out. I whirled around, having momentarily forgotten Canton was there. _Oops..._

"You see, the President asked the child two questions. Where are you and who are you? She was answering where." I could hear from behind me. Canton pointed randomly about.

"It's bigger on the inside."

"Yeah, you get used to it," Rory said offhandedly with his hands on his hips.

"Now, where would you find three big, historical names in a row like that?" The Doctor asked.

"Where?" Amy asked, excited. The TARDIS landed with a thump.

"Here. Come on." Eleven ran down the steps and grabbed my hand. He paused in front of Canton.

"It's er..." Eleven grimaced, looking at Rory.

"Are you taking care of this?" He pulled me towards the door.

"Why is it always my turn?" Rory called out in exasperation from behind us.

"Because you're the newest," Amy stated as she followed us out. "Where are we?" She turned on a flashlight.

"About five miles from Cape Kennedy Space Centre. It's 1969, the year of the moon. Interesting, don't you think?" The Doctor replied, sitting in a chair whilst waving a tiny flag.

"But why would a little girl be here?"

"I don't know. Lost me a bit. The President asked the girl where she was, and she did what any lost little girl would do. She looked out of the window." He said, getting up and looking through the blinds. River held the phone up to her ear testing it.

"Streets. Of course, street names." Amy said in realization.

"The only place in Florida, probably all of America, with those three street names on the same junction. And Doctor Song, Carli, you've got that face on again." He stated. We looked at him in confusion.

"What face?" River asked.

"The 'he's hot when he's clever' face." He replied.

"This is my normal face." We both said, bemused. He smirked.

"Yes, it is." I felt my face begin to burn. I looked away quickly to hide it.

"Oh, shut up." River said, walking away.

"Not a chance." The TARDIS doors reopened and Rory and Canton stepped out.

"We've moved. How, how can we have moved?" Canton asked in confusion stumbling around. The Doctor groaned.

"You haven't even got to space travel yet?" He asked, exasperated. Rory fixed him with a deadpan look.

"I was going to cover it with time travel." Canton's eyes bugged out. He pointed at Rory and then swiveled back to look at us.

"Time travel."

"Braveheart, Canton. Come on." He said, grabbing my hand and pulling me along after him. I laughed quietly as I heard Canton behind us.

"So we're in a box that's bigger on the inside, and it travels through time and space."

"Yeah, basically."

"How long have Scotland Yard had this?"

* * *

Amy and River shined their flashlight around as we walked through the dark room.

"It's a warehouse of some kind. Disused." River observed.

"You realize this is almost certainly a trap, of course?" Eleven questioned.

"I noticed the phone, yes." River agreed. Amy looked at them confused.

"What about it?" She wondered.

"It was cut off. So how did the child phone from here?" Came the reply.

"Okay, but why would anyone want to trap us?" Amy asked, slightly panicked.

"Let's see if anyone tries to kill us and work backwards." I smacked him on the arm.

"Not helping," I muttered. I glanced over into the shadows where I could vaguely make out the outline of the astronaut suit. I smiled sadly and did a small wave in her direction.

"Now, why would a little girl be here?" River wondered.

"I don't know. Let's find her and ask her." We wandered in further and found ourselves at some sort of operating table.

"It's nonterrestrial. Definitely alien. Probably not even from this time zone." River said in observation.

"Which is odd, because look at this!" Eleven rushed over to the wooden crates that sat nearby. River shined her light on them and revealed that they were filled with spacesuits.

"It's earth tech. It's contemporary." River muttered.

"It's very contemporary. Cutting edge. This is from the space program." He said, picking up a helmet. I grinned in excitement and grabbed the second one from inside the box.

"Stolen?" River assumed. Amy looked at her, incredulous.

"What, by aliens?"

"Apparently." The Doctor grinned. He quickly put on the helmet.

"But why? I mean, if you can make it all the way to Earth, why steal technology that can barely make it to the moon?" Amy reasoned. He lifted the visor.

"Maybe because it's cooler? Look how cool this stuff is." He grinned in excitement.

"Cool aliens?" Amy mocked.

"Well, what would you call me?"

"An alien." She deadpanned.

"Oi!"

"Oh come on! This stuff is sick!" I said, coming up beside them, my own helmet on. "I always wanted to be an astronaut you know? If it wasn't for all the math and science involved, I'd be all for it!" I said. "God I hate those subjects" Eleven grinned at me. He held up a finger and reached into his pocket. After a moment of searching, he pulled out my polaroid from within. I grinned with glee. I grabbed it.

"Hey, guys! Come here real quick!" Everyone came over, even Canton who was still in slight shock. I huddled us all together and held the camera out in front of us.

"Smile!" I snapped a photo, grabbing it when it printed. I waved it about as I turned back to the Time Lord. "Take one with me?" I asked. He grinned and took the camera from my hands. He held it out in front of us and held up a peace sign.

"Say, Geronimo!" I put up my own peace sign as well.

"Geronimo!" The flash went off again and another picture printed. I grabbed the image while the Doctor placed the camera back into his pocket. He then helped me out of the helmet as I shook the photo.

"I, er, I think he's okay now," Rory said, looking at Canton. Eleven took off his helmet.

"Ah! Back with us, Canton." He asked, walking over to the man. Canton stood there momentarily before flashing his flashlight back in the direction of the TARDIS.

"I like your wheels." I laughed out loud at that. I loved that line. Eleven grinned and patted him on the shoulder as he walked past him.

"That's my boy. So, come on. Little girl. Let's find her."

* * *

I wandered over to Amy and River who were standing around the operating table thing. I could barely make out their conversation from here.

"...Time can be rewritten."

"Not all of it."

"Says who?"

"Who do you think? What's this?" River followed a thick wire that flowed down under a manhole cover.

"We can still save them..." Amy tried again. River cut her off.

"Doctor? Look at this." Eleven quickly came over to us. River squatted down and pushed the manhole cover over, revealing a gaping hole.

"So where does that go?" River held out her device to scan the opening.

"There's a network of tunnels running under here." She read.

"Life signs?"

"No, nothing that's showing up." He grimaced.

"Those are the worst kind." River placed both her hands down on the edge of the hole and began to lower herself down into it.

"Be careful," I said, biting my nail. Even though I knew she'd be alright, I couldn't help but worry about the woman. She looked up at me with a smirk.

"Careful? I tried that once. Ever so dull." I rolled my eyes with a small chuckle. Eleven rubbed my back briefly.

"Shout if you get in trouble." He ordered. River got a wicked glint in her eye and she glanced back at me.

"Don't worry, I'll just imitate Carli. She's quite the screamer. Now there's a hell-of-a spoiler for you." She said. I choked on my own spit. Eleven's eyes seemed to bug out of his face as a blush crept up onto it.

"What? Wait...River!" I exclaimed. She merely laughed and disappeared into the tunnel.

"Tell me what's going on here." Canton interceded from behind us. The two of us whirled around, the two of us in various stated of panic and fluster.

"Er, nothing. She's just a friend." He said, quickly. Rory walked up to him and whispered in his ear.

"I think he's talking about the possible alien incursion." Eleven looked at him wide-eyed for a moment before slapping on a big grin.

"Okay." He then sped off, slapping his hand on Canton's shoulder as he passed. Amy walked over and wrapped her arm around my stiff shoulder.

"You alright?" I stared straight ahead of me in a state of shock.

"I think I need a nap..." I muttered. Amy laughed.

"Later. C'mon." She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to a table covered with tools to investigate. Canton followed us.

"So, I was in a bar having a drink. Tell me, honestly, Am I still there?" He asked, still slightly dazed. Amy glanced up at him with a smirk.

"Afraid not." We all turned around when we heard a commotion coming from behind us. River appeared from the hole in a state of panic. I started to go over to her when she snapped out of it, suddenly calm.

"All clear. Just tunnels. Nothing down there I can see. Er, give me five minutes. I want to take another look around." She said, looking back down.

"Stupidly dangerous!" Eleven called out from where he stood with Rory. River smirked.

"Yeah, I like it too. Amy, look after them." She replied, looking at the redhead. Amy winked. With one last smile, River disappeared back down into the tunnel. I wandered over to the two men as the Doctor turned to Rory.

"Rory, would you mind going with her?" Rory shifted, looking uncomfortable.

"Yeah, a bit." The Doctor patted him on the chest.

"Then I'd appreciate it all the more." Rory sighed in defeat.

"Hang on, River. I'm coming too." He called out. I smacked him on the arm.

"Oh don't be like that! Go spend time with her," I ordered. He mock-glared at me, rubbing his arm. _Go spend time with your daughter_. I thought to myself as he disappeared into the hole after River. Suddenly bored, I headed over to Amy and Canton. Canton was looking at a wire hanging over the operating table while Amy was standing next to him.

"So, you were kicked out of the FBI because you had attitude problems?" She guessed. He grimaced.

"No, I just wanted to get married." She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Is that a crime?" She asked, incredulous. I frowned.

"In this era, yes. A lot of people liked to believe gay people didn't exist until AIDs became a thing. Plus, it doesn't help the fact that his partner is a person of color," I told her quietly. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in an "oh" expression. Canton answered, having not heard us.

"Yes. Doctor who, exactly?" He asked, pointing his finger over at the Time Lord. We looked at the said man who was currently doing an impression of an ostrich by sticking his head in a large crate.

"Ah. That's classified." She replied, slyly. Canton looked at her confused.

"Classified by who?" Amy looked confused now too.

"God knows." I snorted.

"Do you work for him?" He asked.

"He's my friend, if friend is the right word. I haven't seen him in a while. I had something I wanted to tell him, but stuff always gets in the way." Amy muttered, furrowing her eyebrows. Canton held up what looked to be a circular saw.

"Stuff does that." He replied.

"Help me! Help! Help me!" We all startled when a little girl's voice called out from somewhere in the factory. Canton dropped the saw and pulled out his gun.

"That's her." He ran off in the direction of the voice. Amy and I made to follow him only to stop when the redhead doubled over in pain.

"Amy?" The Doctor called out in concern. He ran over to us and grabbed onto her.

"Help me! Please!" Melody called out again. I ran off after Canton, leaving the two behind. I soon found Canton standing face to face with the astronaut.

"Doctor! Doctor, quickly!" Canton called out. The suit knocked him to the ground, unconscious. It then turned to me.

"Hey baby girl," I said, holding my hands up in front of me. It stood there silently before the arm reached up and pushed up the visor.

"Help me, please!" Melody whimpered. Tears sprang to my eyes at her tear filled face.

"Don't worry, baby girl, you're going to be alright, okay? Your mommy is gonna be here real soon." I said. She sniffed and nodded. Suddenly her eyes widened.

"Look out!" She called out. I whirled around only to be struck down by a Silence standing behind me. My head slammed into the concrete floor. Winded, I tried to lift my head. Everything looked fuzzy and out of focus. I could barely make out the suit closing the visor again. The Doctor and Amy then ran into the room, not noticing the astronaut.

"Canton! Carli! Are you okay?" He called out, nealing beside us. Amy quickly followed.

"Are they all right?" I just groaned in response. Eleven scanned us with his screwdriver.

"Just unconscious, in Canton's case. Got a proper whack."

"Doctor, I need to tell you something. I have to tell you it now." Amy tried again.

"Not a great moment."

"No, it's important. It has to be now." Amy insisted. Melody's voice called out again.

"Help! Help me! Help me!" The two looked around briefly. Amy then knelt down in front of the Doctor.

"Doctor, I'm pregnant." He stared at her in shock. They whirled around at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

"That's it. The astronaut." Amy whispered. The suit raised its arm at the Doctor and I. Amy suddenly grabbed Canton's gun and aimed it at the suit. The arm began to lift the visor.

"Help me!" Melody called out.

"Get down!" Amy called out. The Doctor's eyes widened in panic.

"What are you doing?!" He exclaimed.

"Saving your life!"

"No!"

Amy shot blindly at the astronaut. She then got a proper look at the girl under the now raised visor and screamed.

* * *

_And done! Sorry that took so long guys. I got so caught up in classes this past semester that I had no time. I finally got to update this because of winter break. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday!_

_Percabeth Jackson_

**Author's Note:**

> So, what do you think? Let me know in the comments!
> 
> -AvengersSummerHome


End file.
